Nights Full of Stars
by wowiepanzeeee
Summary: Uta is creative, curious, and cunning. Celeste is anxious, afraid, and anxious. She's in a tough situation that has left her homeless. When she meets a mask maker who looks like a ghoul, she finds out he has an extra room. He says he's not a ghoul so, it will be okay yeah? UtaxOC with a really slow burn. Probably gonna be loooots of chapters. Eventual smut.
1. Favor

**DO NOT READ UNTIL YOU'VE READ ALL OF TOKYO GHOUL RE:. LIKE** _ **ALL**_ **OF IT. UNTIL THE LAST PAGE. THIS IS A STORY PLAGUED WITH** _ **SPOILERS**_

 _ **Heyo, I'm Panzeeee. I've really enjoyed Tokyo Ghoul and the best character was my boi, Uta. I had this kind of self-insert idea. Once I finished Re:, now knowing everything(?) about Uta, I felt I could write an accurate story with an original character. I really hope someone else enjoys it!**_

* * *

Uta always joked to his ghoul customers when they learned he lived in the 4th ward.

'Wanna come stay at my place?'

It never failed to make them uncomfortable.

The 4th ward was full of humans. No chance a ghoul could stay there without being suspected by the CCG. It was a big risk even opening this shop.

"Just messing with ya." He says with a chuckle.

Actually, he did have an extra room. If he met a ghoul who was strong enough to hold his own in the 4th ward, he'd consider a roommate.

 **Texts:**

 **Touka and Uta**

T: Hey Uta

U: whats up

T: Can you give my friend a quick haircut today? It's almost sweaty season.

U: i feel ya. they can come over any time. it's been pretty slow

T: Thanks, she'll be there at 3:30.

U: 3:30. got it, ya owe me coffee

T: Sure thing.

U: free?

T: Definitely not.

U: i tried

A smile formed on Uta's face. He enjoyed giving haircuts, and he was damn good at it. This was different from his everyday routine, which got lonely. There were only so many customers who needed a mask.

A few people didn't trust him when it came to hair. Looking at Uta's style, they assumed their hair would be spiked, dyed, or shaved off completely. However, he was like any other hairdresser; maybe better. Whether he did hair, makeup, etc; it felt as though he was creating a temporary mask. And of course, he wanted people to love their handmade masks. Uta lived on the delight his art created.

At about 3:31 the bell above the door rang.

Celeste pushed open the door, heavily panting, her hair and uniform drenched from rainwater. She checked her watch. _Only one minute late._

Uta nibbled an eyeball as he sat at his stool, sketching effortlessly across his paper. As he spun around to greet Touka's friend, he apologized, "Sorry; I skipped lunch so I'm starv-" he froze.

…

 _This girl is a human. A fucking human. I am holding an eyeball._

* * *

 _Geez this was short._


	2. Peanut Butter and Jelly

Uta launched off his stool and sprinted to the closet where he kept jars of paint. He threw the eye into the darkness, bursting as it hit the wall. He'd clean up the mess later. Wiping his mouth with the bottom of his shirt, he turned and gave a lopsided grin. Uta was not one to get stressed, but this human may suspect him of being a ghoul. The last human who was this close to him just had their left eye thrown at a wall.

"Sorry about that. I..." he wracked his brain to think of an excuse. "I never like to have food around customers in case they're allergic..." That was awful. He silently wiped his mouth some more to remove any more evidence. "Are you allergic to peanuts? Or jelly?" he paused, "Also bread?" What am I saying?

She wasn't sure how to respond. The situation was already incredibly stressful and now she was conversing about allergies. Celeste peeped out, "My only allergy is pineapple..." Her voice trailed off toward the end.

Honestly, it was nice of him to put the food away. One time someone ate pineapple near me and I puffed up like a balloon.

"I-I've gotta clean up. Just a sec." Uta stated as he nervously settled back on his stool.

Celeste stood, holding her book bag close. It was water-logged from the sudden downpour. She prayed all her papers were dry.

Observing the shop from the entrance, she found herself overwhelmed. It was obvious this guy was a gifted artist, soaring above her own work. Different style masks hung from walls while some were strapped to fake heads. Their intricate designs ranged from nightmare-inducing monsters to beautifully embellished flowers.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the magnificent glass display. Placed inside was a line of delicate masks which Celeste assumed were made of glass or porcelain. They looked as though they'd shatter from just a glance. Miniscule spotlights dotted the bottom of the display, encasing the masks in a reflecting glow. It was as though she was teleported back to her hometown museum.

Celeste loved this shop. Not so much the creepy genius behind the masks, but she missed going to art galleries like this. They were a place she could be herself alongside her parents. She'd bring sketchbooks and spend hours trying to replicate the imagination each artist shared. I miss that.

Her attention was drawn back toward the peanut butter and jelly guy. He was slowly cleaning his workstation, the chair, and also the scissors she assumed were for cutting hair. He seemed competent enough.

She scanned him from his toes to his head. This guy was young and attractive, nothing like she expected. I thought he'd be an old man, not a youthful goth guy.

He wore black sneakers that reached his ankles. His dark, baggy sweatpants came in right below his knee, showing off pale skin. This guy needs sun. Uta was obviously skinny even though his clothes didn't seem to fit him. He wore a thin black sweater that hung gently off his shoulders, almost down to his elbows. It revealed abstract tattoos patterned down his arms. Celeste had never seen so many tattoos. His fingers peeked out his sleeves as he cleaned a small comb. She noticed finger tattoos that danced down to his fingernails, which were painted black. It suits him.

As much as Celeste hated to admit it, his shirt was sitting in the corner of her mind since she had first met him. It was a white, loose tank top with a shallow neckline that turned Celeste's face scarlet. He had another tattoo peeking out, and it made her blush even more. She noticed the jelly stain across the bottom which made her grin.

Forcing her eyes away from his chest, Celeste moved her gaze up to a neck tattoo that he wore like a choker. It was a series of symbols, presumably latin.

To Celeste's horror, his ears had countless piercings. She winced as a word came to mind: NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NE-. She herself had pierced ears and she loved wearing earrings. Luckily, Celeste's moms pierced her ears before she knew what needles even were. She had always wanted more piercings, but the second the needle came out, so did the vomit. THIS GUY HAS HIS LIP PIERCED!? AND IS THAT AN EYEBROW PIERCING?! HOW DOES THAT EV-

His head was half shaved with his bangs hanging down. A bit of his hair was tied back into a small ponytail. It looked good with his gothic persona but, if he cuts my hair like that I might start crying.

Lastly, she looked to his eyes.  
His eyes were a beautiful shade of black and red...h-h-HIS EYES WERE RED.

AND BLACK AND G-G-GHOUL AND BLACKREDREDRED HES A GHOUL HES SO SCARY WHY WOULD TOUKA SEND ME TO A GHOUL WHO LOOKS LIKE HE BELONGS IN THE ADDAMS F-F-FAMILY TO GET A FUCKING HAIRCUT IS TOUKA A GHOUL TOO DO THEY WANT TO EAT ME IM GONNA DIE TODAY

Even Celeste's anxiety meds wouldn't be able to keep her calm in this situation.

* * *

 **I based the look of his shop on the manga one. I'm going to kinda construct a house attached to the store. this will be fun.**


	3. Clumsy

Chapter 3

Her body began to shake while her eyes grew three times the normal size. You're going to be okay Celeste, she breathed. I trust Touka. She would never put me in a dangerous situation…

UNLESS SHE'S A GHOUL.

She trembled as her face flushed. It was as though a fire was scorching her from head to toe.

Tiptoeing towards the door, her eyes darted back and forth. Without realizing, she was moving towards a puddle of rainwater that had dripped from her wet clothing. The lack of traction on her school shoes prompted her legs to slip out from underneath her, toppling Celeste to the hardwood floor. GODDAMN THAT HURT she thought as she rubbed her tailbone. Rainwater is going to be the reason I die.

She hurriedly searched for the ghoul, making sure he wasn't coming in for an attack. Celeste couldn't afford to let her guard down, even in this much pain. As she searched, water shot from her long damp hair, sprinkling everything nearby. Drops hit the display cases, the masks, even the paper Uta had been drawing on.

"AH THE MASKS!" Celeste's eyes widened as she stood up. At that moment, she thought no more of the ghoul. It was her duty to save the art she admired.

Uta stood there and watched, not worried about the merchandise. Glass protected the important masks and he made sure everything was always waterproof. What use is a ghoul who can't go in the rain?

He used the opportunity to learn about this dunce. Uta could pick up on the smallest emotions people gave off. He had to be able to if he wished to mimic others' faces. Her feelings, however, weren't that small. Anybody could read her face. He took in the sight of her and made some mental notes; Anxiety... Fear... And hopelessness? He squinted. Those weren't fun emotions.

Celeste eventually found a towel covered in charcoal on his bench. Running toward a puddle, she slipped. Again. This time hitting her elbow on a corner of the wall.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST." Celeste screamed in pain. It hit her funny bone, sending intense pain throughout her body. Quickly, she realized her knee was bleeding badly from slipping across the rough wooden floor. Celeste panicked. There was a ghoul near her and her blood was visible.

She frantically looked for Uta, who was now crouching and had moved towards her, about 6 feet away.

"So, you're Touka's friend?" He squinted and tilted his head like a puppy dog.

Ignoring the question, Celeste avoided eye contact with him, her breathing becoming shallow.

Uta easily picked up on how afraid she really was. He wasn't going to hurt her, but Uta'd be lying if he said this wasn't a little fun.

Anxiety burned throughout Celeste's chest. I'm going to die here and no one would ever find my body. I'll be shoved in the fridge for an afternoon snack.

Quickly, Celeste snatched the wet towel from the puddle and started scrubbing the blood from the wood while trying to cover her knee. She watched Uta out the corner of her eye, knowing he could attack at any moment.

Of course Uta noticed the blood. The smell was unavoidable. He knew she was afraid; people usually are. He had to stay far away and keep a straight face to not scare her to death.

"You're acting as though you've seen a ghoul," Uta joked. He waited for a response... Nothing. He tried again, "What's your name, Touka's friend?" Same as last time. She didn't plan on talking. These questions aren't going to get anywhere. "It's my eyes that freak you out, yeah? You think I'm a ghoul." I am a ghoul, but that's for me to know and you to never find out.

Celeste kept wiping her knee and the floor with the now red stained towel. She kept her gaze down as to not provoke or intimidate the ghoul. Or was that for bears?

Uta stood up. When Celeste heard the floorboards squeak, she flinched and gasped, thinking he was coming over to end her life. Just do it quickly. She threw her hands behind her head; ducking for cover. Again, isn't this for bears?

He glanced at her strange position for a moment, then turned away, giving a laughing snort. She's kinda fun.


	4. So, He's Not a Ghoul?

His footsteps were getting farther away. Celeste cautiously lifted her head, observing him as he walked to the other side of the room. He disappeared behind a standing screen, losing sight of him momentarily. A second later, Uta popped out holding a roll of paper towels, a spool of bandage, and a spray bottle of bleach. He returned to his crouching position, even further away this time. Uta rolled the paper towels and bandage spool across the floor to Celeste, then gently slid the bottle over the hardwood floor.

The items hit Celeste's thigh. She picked up the items and looked at him cautiously. "Sorry I can't help you," he apologized. "I'm afraid of blood; wouldn't be much help." In truth, he couldn't take his eyes off her bloody knee.

It was silent in the room for about 2 minutes as Celeste viciously scrubbed the floor with bleach. In a low tone, Uta talked to the girl, "My eyes are tattooed, y'know?" He held open his eyelids hoping the girl would look over. "I get color injected into them every so often."

Celeste made a tiny noise that almost sounded like a small scream in her throat. _NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES_

"My eyes return back to normal after a whi-" _NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES NEEDLES_

She interrupted before her vomit made an appearance, "H-How should I clean my knee?" Seeing the girl wasn't interested in eye injections, he silently pointed to the bleach. "I-I didn't know you could disinfect wounds with bleach…" Celeste was 90% sure she'd die if she touched her knee with bleach. "A-A-Are you absolutely sure?"  
Uta leaned forward, a quizzical smile painted across his face, "Hundred percent positive. If it cleans floors, why wouldn't it clean wounds?"

Celeste gritted her teeth. _That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about bleach to dispute it._

He was now sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, resting his chin on his intertwined hands, while his hollow eyes observed every detailed movement. "You gonna do it?"

"I-I-I think so." Celeste was now shaking, her eyes misty. She dabbed a bit of bleach on the towel. Squeezing her eyes shut, she quickly placed it on her wound. _I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonn-I'M DYING I'M DYING._ It felt as though she'd been electrocuted. Sucking in air through her clenched teeth, she felt tears stream down her face. After holding it on for a while, the pain started to subside, but the tears kept coming.

Uta didn't really understand what was going on. There was sadness, then anger, then sobbing, then talking to herself. It was like watching a theatrical performance. He was near invincible, but this girl was going to spend days changing bandages and limping around. Her thick hair was sticking to her face from the rain and tears, while her elbow had a big purple bruise that badly needed ice. _She's done nothing but hurt herself since she walked in._

Celeste had her leg sticking out with the paper towel resting on her knee while she sprayed the floor to continue her intense cleaning. The bleach stung her eyes, but she kept scrubbing. She couldn't believe the mess she'd made all by herself. It felt as though responsibility was on her shoulders to fix the situation, but it would've been nice if the guy helped her. There was barely any blood on the wood from her wound. _This guy looks like he gets piercings every day, but he's afraid of blood? If he's not a ghoul like he says, then he's insane and needs to be put in an institution._

After a few minutes of cleaning under the watchful black eyes of Uta, Celeste wrapped her grazed knee in the bandages. Turning to Uta, who was now sitting on a tall stool near an easel, she whispered, "Thank you...I'm...going home now."  
Uta squinted. He was not one for emotion, but he felt disappointed. "Hey..." Uta started, "I told Touka I'd cut your hair."

"Who cares?" Celeste spoke sternly while picking up her school bag.

He didn't expect _that_.

Uta focused on her with his heavy-lidded eyes. "If I don't cut your hair, she won't talk to me." Celeste was about to shoot his words down again, but he quickly interrupted, "Touka's banned me from Anteiku for a whole month before. You know Anteiku? The coffee shop." Celeste nodded her head. She enjoyed visiting Anteiku during Touka's shifts to surprise her. She also liked their hot chocolate, (and Ken.)

Uta sternly stared into the distance as though he were having war flashbacks. "I had to drink gas station coffee." Turning his gaze to Celeste, he whispered, "Do you know what that does to a man?"

His whisper sent a shiver down her spine. She did not know what gas station coffee did to a man, but it must not have been good.

Even though it was a dumb story, it was true. And gas station coffee ruined a man. Celeste knew Touka would be disappointed. She went through all the work to get her friend a free haircut. Celeste peeked at Peanut Butter & Jelly Man through the wet hair that still stuck to her face.

Uta perched himself on a rolling stool near the artist's easel. He grabbed a smaller chair and placed it about two feet away from his own. He looked at her with a small grin as he pet the empty stool, gesturing to sit.

 _This is going to be weird._

* * *

Did anyone see that Always Sunny quote! If you did, you get some milk steak


	5. Best Friends

**Earlier that day**

"I think you need to get a haircut too," Touka said. "It's going to get hot soon. That's why I got mine cut." She slid a pin into her hair to push back her bangs. "You'll get sweaty with all that hair, and you're already a sweaty person when you get flustered."

"RUDE," Celeste laughed to her friend. They hadn't known each other very long, but it felt like their bond was unbreakable at that point. "Haircuts are too expensive, and you know my money situation," Celeste whispered toward the end of the sentence.

"Well, I know where you can get a FREE one."

"Is it from a random homeless person?" Celeste huffed.

"Celeste..." Touka paused, tapped her pen on the paper. Not looking at her, she whispered, "You're a random homeless person."

Celeste looked straight ahead at the blackboard, "I forget sometimes." she forced a smile, "Pretty funny, eh?"

The corners of Touka's mouth rose a minuscule amount. _That's the Touka Trademark Smile._

"I have a friend named Uta who could cut your hair," she paused, "He's scary. With your anxiety, he'll be terrifying."

"W-W-Why's he scary?" Celeste asked worriedly.

"Don't worry."

"No, no, no Touka what does that mean!?" Celeste was now clinging to Touka's arm and looking at her with big puppy dog eyes. "W-Why can't you come with meeee?"

"I've got shifts at Anteiku all week. And I'm also helping Ken with some stuff," a pink tint lightly appeared on her pale cheeks. Ken was a new employee at Anteiku who Touka couldn't stop talking about. Celeste had met him once, and instantly started crushing on him, but she would never tell that to Touka. "You'll meet Uta sooner or later, so just get it over with." Touka paused as she texted Uta, while Celeste frantically clicked her mechanical pencil. "One more thing..." Touka looked up from her phone, "Uta asks a lot of questions to his customers, so prepare yourself for that. They tend to get personal, but you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"W-Why? W-What's the point of that?"

"He says he likes getting to know his customers. I don't understand it, but I guess I don't own a business. Oh, hey he responded. He says 3:30 will be okay." Touka looked over at Celeste and immediately noticed her chubby frame shaking with anxiety. "Celeste, you'll be just fine. Just go with it."

Celeste returned to her lunch, offering a bite to Touka. Touka smiled, but put her hand up and shook her head 'no.'

"Well, more for me," Celeste laughed.

Touka flicked Celeste's head "Dummy."

The bell rang, concluding lunchtime. Celeste gave another worried look to Touka as they went their separate ways. She responded with a thumbs up and a serious 'you can do it' face. It provided no reassurance to Celeste.

 **End of the school day.**

 _Alright._ Alrightalrightalright _. Yes. Yesyesyes. Come on Celeste. You can do this. Come on._

Celeste stood in the girls' bathroom and stared into the mirror. She had to stand on her tiptoes if she wanted to get her face closer to the mirror. She tried to untangle her thick hair so the man didn't have to deal with frustrating knots. Her attempts helped a little and it was the best she could do. She dabbed a bit of water on her face to try and look more presentable.

She checked her watch.

 _Holy shit. I've gotta be there in 5 minutes._

 _The store was a mask store called Hyfy. Hysy? Hymy?_ It was about 10 or so minutes away when walking, so she got ready to sprint. Celeste didn't want to make the old guy grumpy.

She kicked open the front door of the college, practically flying down the steps; skipping about 8 at a time. _This is officially my exercise for the rest of the year_ , she thought to herself. _I swear I'm going to slip and fall and bleed everywhere, but I will make it in time. Touka was kind enough to make this appointment._

She sprinted down a brick road as rain started to pour. "AAAHHHH FUCK!" she screamed at the sky, getting her face drenched. She knew what she'd look like upon arrival; mascara running down her face with her hair plastered to her forehead.

 _Touka said he asks a lot of questions, but will it be like creepy old man questions? Like bra size or something like that? WHAT IF HE'S A PERVERT THAT TRIES TO TOUCH MY TITS OR FEEL MY THIGH OR LOOK UP MY SKIRT. I SHOULDN'T GO. I SHOULD TURN AROUND. I SHOU-_

It was too late. She was standing in front of the door.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck._

Celeste yanked open the door and took a step in, nearly having a heart attack as the bell rang above the door. _I'm not ready for this._


	6. Snip Snip

Present

Celeste cautiously limped over to the chair and sat down. Uta rolled his stool to the front of Celeste, grabbing a clean towel from under his desk. Oh, so there were towels. Why didn't he just tell me in the first place?!

He used his lean fingers to gently peel the wet hair off Celeste's forehead, then tucked it back behind her ear. "Was it raining, or are you just really sweaty?" Uta gave a small half-smile. Celeste knew it was a joke, but could never admit that most of it was probably perspiration.

"Ha, ha, ha...Yeah, it's uhhh…" She could never talk normally when a cute person was nearby. He was even touching her hair. It felt as though she was back in middle school, nervously trying to converse with anyone patient enough. "It's raining."

Uta rolled his chair back behind Celeste while throwing the towel over her head. "Gonna quickly dry you up," He grabbed her head and wildly moved the towel around, pulling her head in different directions. "I'm Uta," he stated, removing the wet towel from her head. He peeked around so she could see him out the corner of her eye, "but I bet you knew that." Celeste felt his whisper gently skim her ear and she began to sweat all over again.

"So, Touka's friend," he continued while looking for the comb, "What's your name?"

"Uhhhhh…?" What is my name? What's mY NAME? "Ummm…Errrr…"

Uta rolled up to her front, squinting curiously, "I've never met someone without a name, so this is a first. What should I call you?"

"N-N-No! No, I actually have a name; Celeste. Th-that's my name"

Uta paused. "Sounds like something someone without a name would say." He tapped his chin pretending to be in deep thought. Looking back at her, he grinned. "Celeste is an interesting name." Pushing off the ground, he rolled back behind her. "Stars, galaxies, outer space. Do you like your name?"

Were these the questions? The questions Touka warned me about? Seems easy enough. "Yeah, I think it's cool." Uta began to comb her hair out, working through the knots.

"I do have to give a disclaimer," Uta muttered as he rolled to the front. He began combing her bangs, then pushed them to the side. "I only give one style of haircut." He rubbed the shaved side of his head. She's gonna freak out.

HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. Celeste froze, trying to think of a kind way to say 'no' without being rude. Insulting someone's style was the last thing she wanted to do. "Mr. Uta? I, uhh...I like your hair...I just don't think it would look go-"

"Joking." He whispered. Celeste let out the air she had been holding in while Uta pulled her bangs forward. "Do you know how you'd like your hair?"

She ran images through her head as her long brushed-out bangs tickled her eyelids. Which celebrities have nice hair? Maybe whats-her-name? The one in that movie. Augh, but she ended up being a terrib- Celeste didn't even notice that Uta had begun snipping away, his deep eyes skimming her face, memorizing every detail. -le person. Her boyfriend is kind of cute though. Maybe I could get a hottie like hi- "AH! A-Are you doing it already?"

"Yup." Uta kept snipping. With her heart-shaped face, her hair should be shorter. Also, it's gonna get hot and she doesn't want to sweat too much. But not too short. Maybe shoulder length, but shorter towards the back? "As your hair's drying, it's becoming wavy. How wavy does it get?" He ran his long fingers through her hair, inspecting the thick strands, making her shiver and blush even more.

THIS MAN JUST RAN HIS HANDS THROUGH MY HAIR I AM HYPERVENTILATING. "R-Really wavy," she muttered from behind her wall of hair, "When it's dry, it's about an inch or two shorter 'cause of all the c-curls and such. It's really annoying and I hate it." Uta stopped cutting and looked at her. Celeste's eyes remained closed."I used to straighten my hair every day in high school, but I don't have time anymore. Also, I don't have electr-…" Celeste opened her eyes, curious as to why he had stopped cutting. She immediately had a heart attack, seeing he was staring right at her, his dark eyes focused on her light ones.

"Don't hate your hair. It's part of you. You gotta learn to love it." Uta stood up and began rummaging through a drawer while Celeste tried to get over the shock of eye contact. There they are. He took out two large clips then gently parted Celeste's hair down the middle with the comb. He separated it into two big buns on each side of her head. Uta walked to the other side of the room and turned around, looking straight at her, like an artist observing his work. I'll keep her bangs pretty long to frame her face. It'll look really nice. "How long have you known Touka?"

"O-Only about a year and a half. She's been kinda like the light in my darkness. I'm very lucky I met her."

Uta returned behind her and began snipping away at the sides. "You go to the same college?"

"Yup." Celeste prayed her haircut wouldn't turn out embarrassing.

"What do you want to major in?"

"It's really dumb…but maybe fine arts? I want to major in that, but it won't get me any jobs later. So I might do a boring major and then minor in fine arts."

Uta was surprised that she was saying so much to him. She's more talkative than I thought. "Have you met Ken Kaneki? Touka's new friend?" He was half ghoul and a new edition to the Anteiku family. Yomo had recently been teaching him how ghouls live. Uta had even met him face-to-face to when he came in to get fitted for a mask. Ken could get any girl he wanted with that little face. I wouldn't be surprised if Celeste was into him.

WHY IS HE ASKING ABOUT KEN. "Yeah…I've met him at the coffee shop before."

"What do you think of him? Are you friends?"

"W-What do I think? Umm…" Ken's really cute and I'm jealous that he and Touka are totally in love because he's super hot and I'd totally kis-. "He's kind to Touka, and that's what matters." Uta could easily read her face. It seemed she had a little crush.

He began layering the ends of her hair. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Celeste clenched her teeth and her knuckles turned white. This was a touchy subject. "Up until recently."

Uta's eyes widened with curiosity. Luckily she couldn't see him. I have to learn more about this. "Big break up?"

Her eyebrows furrowed together, "You could say that."

"Does he go to your school?"

"No."

"Was he a douchebag? A dick?"

"I don't know."

"Was it a huge figh-"

Celeste quickly interrupted him. "I CAME HOME EARLY AND FOUND HIM ON OUR BED BALLS DEEP INSIDE MY BEST FRIEND." She furiously spun around to look at Uta, face red with anger. "SO I GUESS IT WAS A BIG BREAK UP. AND, YEAH, HE'S KIND OF A DICK AND DOUCHEBAG. IS THAT ENOUGH?" He held the scissors and comb at his side with his eyes wide open.

She just keeps getting more and more strange.

It was silent for about 2 minutes before Uta tiptoed back into conversation. "What's your favorite color?" Celeste ignored him, obviously pissed at his questions. "What's yooour...favorite food?" No answer. "Where do you live?" That one made her angrier. Jesus, this girl is dealing with some shit right now. "What kind of fine arts do you do?" … "Do you have other hobbies?" … "I see you have pierced ears. Do you wear earrings?" … Uta sighed. Time to give up. He finished cutting the back of her hair, then opened the drawer. He took out an electric razor and flicked the button, starting a loud buzzing noise.

Celeste zipped completely around, practically lunging at Uta, "Don't shave my hair off PLEASE! I'll answer the questions! My favorite color is blue! My favorite food i-"

"Calm down, calm down. I'm not shaving your head." He grabbed a piece of plastic and held it between two fingers. "See this? It makes it so the razor doesn't shave all the way down to the scalp. I never shave my hair all the way down." He rubbed his hand back and forth on the shaved side, showing that there indeed was hair on his head. "I'm going to attach this long piece so your hair is only shaved down a touch. It's going to get the long hair off your neck."

Celeste loudly gulped as she stared at the razor. Quietly, she turned back around and looked down to give him access to her neck. "F-Fine." The razor started buzzing again. Though she didn't believe in any god, she quickly prayed to everyone she could think of.

After about a minute, the buzzing stopped and Uta placed down the razor. He quickly walked behind the standing screen and she heard water coming out a tap. What if he cut me and I'm bleeding and he's getting bandages and cleaning it up and I need to go to a hospital because he cut something importa-

Before she knew it, she felt a warm towel against the back of her neck, making her body melt. "I'm wiping up the small hairs so they don't make you itchy later. Just relax for a sec." Celeste could tell his voice had become melancholic. She felt bad for yelling earlier. Uta didn't know her situation. He was just a curious guy who wanted to have a conversation.

"I-I'm sorry for yelling," she muttered. "It's not your fault. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you." There was silence as Uta continued to wipe her neck. "You can ask the questions again if you want."

Uta took the towel off her neck. "Shake your head to get any leftover hair out." Celeste slowly put her head down and shook it back and forth. Her head felt much lighter than it did before. How much hair did he cut off? She watched as strands fell onto the floor, then froze when she noticed the piles of brown locks. She spotted Uta's sneakers out the corner of her eye and looked up to see him holding a mirror against his chest. "Wanna see?" She slowly nodded, feeling her face turning red and her stomach churning. Please, it doesn't have to be good. Just be acceptable.

Uta was excited. He was proud of his work. Slowly, he turned the mirror to face her. Celeste scanned her reflection. Her wavy hair was cut right above her shoulders while her bangs naturally curled inwards, framing her face. It was longer at the front and began to get shorter as it moved backward. Taking her hand, she began to run her fingers through the back of her hair. "Here," Uta said as he handed her another mirror. She held it up to the other one so the back of her head was visible. It was extremely short. Celeste never would've wanted her hair to look like this, not in a million years, but she loved it. The back of her hair felt fuzzy and she rubbed it back and forth. She giggled, not even noticing the smile growing across her face. Her chest felt as though it was glowing; all she wanted to do was smile. She hadn't been pleased with her appearance for a very long time. Uta's heart skipped a beat seeing her so happy with his work.

"I-I-I like this." She said quietly, continuing to play with her hair. "I really, really li- love this."

Uta put down the mirror and sat back down, hands resting on his lap. He looked at Celeste with his heavy-lidded eyes, making small notes about her appearance; just in case. "So, you said your favorite color is blue. What about favorite food?" Uta asked with a smile, throwing Celeste off guard. He wasn't going to give up on the questions. She was too interesting to let go.


	7. Admission

"Your favorite color is blue and your favorite food is blueberries? Well, now your name is Blue," Uta swept Celeste's chopped off hair into a dustpan.

"Uhhhhhhh…" _Please, no nicknames. I don't know you._ "Okay…" Celeste redressed her knee wound with clean gauze. "Where can I put the bleach and bandages?"

"That table," he pointed to a small side desk across the room, "I've gotta clean the glass cases later." Uta paused. "You said you're interested in fine arts. What do you enjoy?"

"Oh! Uhhhh…" Celeste began to bite her lip, "It's dumb stuff."

Uta squatted on the floor, sweeping up the small hairs, "What's 'dumb stuff'?" he grinned.

Celeste limped over to the side table and placed down the items, "I guess I like pastels. Colors and such." A warm smile came to her face, "I've always enjoyed having my hands covered in different colors." _THIS IS REALLY EMBARRASSING._ "S-Sorry, it sounds a little childish."

Uta continued cleaning up, making sure his long bangs hid his face, which was plastered with a big grin. "When I use charcoal, the dust falls on my shoes. I think it looks like storm clouds. Charcoal washes out much easier than pastel though."

Her heart fluttered. It cheered her up to hear someone relate to her. Celeste took a seat, looking at the mess around her. "If I damaged anything, please let me know and I'll pay for it." She paused and noticed how terrible her cleanup attempts were. "I can wipe up the rest of the water...I-I-I'll just need to borrow a towel."

Uta was standing up, wiping the stools. He slowly rose his head and tucked back his bangs to make eye contact, but she looked away before their eyes met. "If you tried again, you'd end up falling and cracking your head on the table. Sit on the sofa for a sec."

 _Ouch_. It hurt Celeste to hear that, but she knew it was true. _Today is really not my day._

"Do you need help getting home?" Uta dumped piles of hair into the trash bin, tapping the dustpan against the side. _This ward is crawling with CCG agents. She'll be pretty safe. I may not be so lucky._

 _Oh no...He wants to help me home? What do I say?_ She turned her head away from Uta. _This is going to be a difficult conversation._ "I-I only have to go to the 20th Ward, so it's an easy trip. Th-Th-Thank you for offering."

Uta's eyes widened as he scratched his neck. _20th Ward? That place is incredibly calm, for GHOULS. She's a human who's just living there like it's nothing?_ HySy sat in the 4th Ward, nearly at the border between 20 and 4, so it wasn't a long walk, but where could she possibly live? "Is your house near Anteiku?"

 _Shitshitshit it's coming._ "Yeah, it's pretty close. About two blocks away."

"So you must live somewhere near Touka." Uta eyed the back of her neck, which she had scratched with her painted fingernails. They left deep red marks that looked incredibly painful.

 _Diggin' a deep hole here Celeste!_ "I-I-I actually live with Touka. Haha…" _Should I just tell him now? Get it over with? He'll find out eventually._ She harshly bit her lip, nearly drawing blood. Uta paced over and took a seat at the opposite end of the sofa. "I-I'm homeless right now…" It felt as though she threw up her words. Her body felt frail as the situation finally punched her in the stomach. _This is real. It's not a dream...Why can't it just be a dream?..._

For a few moments, neither of them moved. Uta was trying to find the right words. He was able to mimic detailed expressions, but not the feelings behind them. "Does it involve the ex?" He prayed the question wasn't insensitive.

"I lived with him," she paused, "He kicked me out even though I wasn't the one who cheated….He didn't let me get any of my stuff, so I have nothing." Celeste was trying to stop the word vomit, but it kept coming. Her bright eyes became misty. "It's great that Touka's been so generous, but...her landlord says the room is only for one person. I-I-I have a week to leave. I don't know what I'm going to do or where I'm going to go. I'll be eaten by ghouls and dumped in the street to rot alongside other dead hum-" She continued listing terrible things at a quick pace that Uta could barely follow. Celeste was crying by then, and it was very unsightly. Mascara ran down her flushed cheeks as her newly cut bangs stuck to her face, ruining the perfect styling Uta had done. She could no longer say anything through the sniffles and small hiccups.

Uta's eyes widened as a sudden realization slapped him in the face: _That's why Touka wanted her to come here. She knows I have a spare room. Sneaky, sneaky rabbit._

This was a human. There was no way she could stay at his house. One of his pastimes involved kidnapping humans that were just like Celeste. For fun. The only reason this hadn't happened was because of Touka. He couldn't make the ghouls of Anteiku suspicious of him or Itori. He also considered Touka a friend; same as Yomo. Uta's stomach churned at the thought of losing them.

 _What can I do? The members of the Clowns would eventually figure out he had a human girl living with him. It would be the end of his life and Celeste's. If I let her stay here, everyone would eventually find out and I'd be fucking ruined. So many terrible things could happen._ Uta held his head in his hands while millions of situations ran through his head; all the ways the Clowns would murder and torture him. _I'd end up dead; murdered by my own faction. This girl needs to be as far from me as possible._

"My attic is empty."

She swung around, revealing the mess of hair, makeup, and snot covering her face, "What?"


	8. Whipped Cream Beard

I don't know why you've read this far, but thank you so much 3

* * *

"I-I mean. I'm not saying that you can move in right now," he paused, "If you're interested, I can think about it." Uta was rubbing his forehead, trying to figure out why he dug himself into this hole, "There's someone else who wants to rent the room, so...I'd have to decide who'd be a better housemate," he lied. Uta regretted telling her about the room, but this excuse might just save him.

Celeste felt as though she were floating. However, she wanted to avoid disappointment if he ended up saying 'no.' "U-Uta? I'd love if you considered me. I-I-It's okay if you say no, but I'd be thankful. I can find somewhere else if you decide on the other person, s-so don't worry." _What's happening what's happening what's happening?_ She didn't realize how much she'd been shaking since he sat down. "I-I-I'll head out now. I'm in charge of b-b-breakfast tonight."

"Do you mean dinner?" he questioned while leaning slightly forward with a small grin.

"Y-Y-Yes, that meal." She waddled towards the door, ignoring the pain in her knee, "Y-Y-You have a good weekend."

He stayed on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees, with his hands neatly folded under his chin, "Blue, it's only Tuesday."

Her head got fuzzier when he used the nickname. _THIS IS THE WORST. CONTROL YOURSELF CELESTE._ "Yes, yes yes, the Tuesday day is today. You're absolutely right. Sorry for t-t-the confusion." Celeste walked straight into the door, smacking her forehead. "I-I-I meant to do that. Just keeping my face...tender." She finally managed to push it open and stumble out the door, nearly having a heart attack at the bell above the door. _I hope a ghoul kills me on the way back. This is the worst, this is the worst._

 **Text Messages**

 **Between Touka and Uta**

 **U:** couldve warned me she was a human

 **T:** Nah, thought you'd enjoy the surprise.

 **U:** you did this so id give her the extra room

 **U:** sneaky sneaky

 **T:** What can I say? You're sharp.

 **T:** Uta, she needs a home

 **U:** shes human

 **T:** She's literally the sweetest person on Earth. I can barely put up with people, but I love having her in my apartment. Celeste is just so important. Please.

 **U:** honestly i was looking for a ghoul who wants to get drunk and watch television

 **T:** Please Uta

 **U:** im pretty sure i made my decision the second she opened her mouth

 **T:** No need to be a rude piece of shit

 **T:** Well, you're breaking the news to her. Keep me out of this.

 **T:** She comes to Anteiku at about 4 every Wednesday. You're coming tomorrow to meet with her.

 **U:** fine ill be there at about 4:15

 **U:** have iced coffee ready

 **T:** Absolutely fucking not you shit

 **U:** damn

 **Lunch Next Day**

"Your hair looks wonderful Celeste! He did a great job." _He may be an asshole, but he's a talented asshole._

"I'm surprised I like it so much," she ran her fingers through her hair. "I have to tell you what happened yesterday. It was weird."

 _Oh god, what happened?_

"I arrived and got really scared because he looked like a ghoul. How come you didn't tell me about that?!"

"I told you he'd be scary."

Celeste sighed, "Well, I got scared and fell down, hurting my knee pretty bad." she pointed to the bandage on her knee, "Uta had medical stuff so I could cover up the wound. I thought he was a ghoul so I was **TERRIFIED** when I saw blood coming out my knee. I thought he'd kill me"

Touka's heart stopped. _Luckily he wasn't hungry. We would've had a big issue._ "Dummy. Do you really think I'd send you to a ghoul?"

"I even thought about that! I thought 'maybe Touka's a ghoul too and they want to eat me!' but then he told me his eyes were tattooed! Like, who does that!? But in the end, he was nice." She paused and took a bite of her lunch. "Before I left, he told me he had an extra room in his home."

Touka, of course, knew this, but tried to act surprised, "Woah!" _What do I do? She's going to get denied later._ "But you don't want to stay with a BOY, right? Especially him. He's a little, y'know," Touka leaned in, "bonkers."

"Even if he is, it's just a room. I need that right now…" Celeste picked at a hangnail, "But he said he was considering another person for the room as well...I think it's a guy so it's a pretty slim chance he'd choose me."

 _Wow, nice lie buddy._ "Well, we'll look for a different place you'll love." She placed her hand on Celeste's shoulder. "You'll be okay."

Celeste replied with a big smile. "I know. Thank you for helping me."

"We're friends," Touka grinned, but it quickly faded when she remembered tonight, "Are you still coming to Anteiku this evening?"

"Yup! I'll just be needing some hot chocolate."

"Of course," Touka tried to force a smile, but it was hard knowing Celeste would be heartbroken tonight.

 **4:00 at Anteiku**

"Y-Y-Yeah I like to read sometimes," Celeste lied while making conversation with Ken Kaneki. _Gosh, he's so cute. I can't make eye contact._ Sweat ran down her face in waterfalls.

"That's cool! I don't have much time to read now because of this job, but I'd like to read more. Maybe you can join me on my next trip to the bookstore."

Celeste began hyperventilating and her face turned a shade of crimson. "Y-Yeah, thank you. I'd love that." She managed to look at him and give a huge smile.

Touka popped out from the kitchen, "Hey Ken, Yomo says I need to take you," she looked over at Celeste, "... _somewhere_... this evening. We'll leave at about 8." Touka had been training Ken in combat to get ready for any battle ahead, but Celeste couldn't know about it.

Ken smiled and whispered at Celeste, "Haha, see? That's why I don't have time anymore."

"Hahaha yeah, I totally get it," at this point, she wasn't listening to him. Her plump cheeks were rosy as her sparkling eyes watched him, entranced by his beautiful features.

"I gotta go take that table's order, but it's been good talking to you, Celeste!" Ken walked away as Celeste took about 2 minutes to calm down her hyperactive heart.

 _He talked to me WILLINGLY. Like, he didn't have to, but HE DID. Oh my gosh, I think he likes me. Ahhh Ken Ken Ken Ken talk to me moooore._

Touka walked out of the kitchen with Celeste's hot chocolate. It was topped with whipped cream and sprinkles, just how any human would like it. Her eyes lit up as she plunged her face into the cream blob, coming back up with a sprinkle beard. "PFFFFT CELESTE WHAT?" She loved making Touka belly-laugh. "YOU LOOK SO STUPID. IT'S LIKE A BEARD."

The front door opened and a lean man wearing a beanie and sunglasses walked in. He had a black jacket with light gray jeans.

Uta looked around for Celeste and immediately saw her sitting at the counter, talking to Touka. Touka was laughing as she turned to greet the customer, but her smile disappeared when she saw who it was.

Celeste turned her head to look at the weird strange guy, "Who wears sunglasses indoors?" Celeste giggled to Touka, not recognizing Uta in a different outfit. He walked towards them, causing her eyes to widen and eyebrows furrow. She leaned further back, nearly falling out the chair as he came to a stop about 2 feet away. Slowly, he bent his tall body, leaning in towards Celeste.

"Hey Blue. You've got a Santa beard today! It suits you."


	9. Keys

"U-Uta?!" Celeste snatched a napkin from the counter, quickly wiping her mouth.

Uta raised his hand, giving a little wave, "Did you not recognize me? That hurts, Blue."

Touka shot in, scowling through her teeth, "Blue? You gave her a nickname?" She threw a razor-edged stare towards Uta. _He gave her a nickname knowing he'd break the unpleasant news the next day. Was this just to have fun and see her reaction?_

 _This is going to be fun. I can't wait to see her reaction._ He rummaged around in his pocket and drew out two small objects. "These are for you." Uta placed them on the counter with a 'clink,' then returned his hands to his pockets. "The brown one unlocks the front door of the store, and the blue one is for the back door, which you'll find at the top of the fire escape stairs. It opens the door to your room. Make sure not to lose these, especially the blue one. That's the only blue one I have."

Celeste's face went blank and she couldn't move. Her body was frozen as she moved her gaze to the two small keys. _Whatwhatwhatwhat d-d-d-did he choose me? D-d-d-do I have a home? A-a-am I dreaming?_

"K-k-k e-e-e y-y-y s-s-s-s t-t-to h-h-h u-u-u s-s-s-se?"

"Exactly," he picked up the keys and placed them in her motionless hand. The cold metal ran a chill up her spine. "Keys to house." Uta took a seat at the counter and removed the dark sunglasses, repositioning them on his head. He turned to Celeste, "I've cleaned your room to the best of my ability, but my ability isn't great. You can bring your stuff over whenever you'd like; even tonight if you're." Uta looked up at Touka whose mouth was agape, and whispered, "Iced coffee?"

Touka squinted, showing suspicion, "Yeah, I'll make it in a sec." She turned to Celeste, whose posture and expression hadn't changed. "Did you want to go tonight?" Celeste gradually turned her head toward Touka, gently nodding. She hopped off the stool, still holding the keys in her open hand, and slowly turned around, gazing at Uta. It was the first time his eyes hadn't frightened her.

"T-t-t-t-t-t-t-thanky-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-ou." Celeste whispered. Twisting around, she grabbed the mug of hot chocolate and walked in a robotic fashion towards the door.

"Bring back the mug when you're done!" Celeste gave a thumbs up and continued walking. She leaned against the door, slowly inching it open. Once outside, Uta and Touka watched her sprint down the street, praying she didn't trip. Touka stared at him, still in a little bit of shock. "I thought you were going to tell her no."

"Check the texts. I never said no," he paused for a second, "Is Renji here?"

"Yomo? He's gone with the manager today."

"Do you think I-" he paused, "Should I tell people there's a human in my house?"

Touka froze for a second, "If I was you, I wouldn't tell anyone. Someone might hurt her. For God's sake, I'm afraid you'll hurt her." She sighed as she placed ice cubes in a glass, "I can't protect her anymore. I'm helping Ken almost daily, then studying in my free time...I don't know how you ended up playing babysitter; you're definitely not my first choice but, keep her clueless about ghouls, be careful when you eat and make sure she doesn't end up dead." She looked up at Uta, tears forming in her eyes, "Please protect her."

Uta gave a genuine smile, "I'll give it my best shot but," he looked behind her at the kitchen, "Only if my iced coffee is ready."

Touka rolled her eyes as she dabbed away her tears. As she walked back into the kitchen, she painted on her Touka Trademark Smile and faced Uta, "Thank you."

He smiled. _This is going to be fun._

 **Touka's Apartment**

Celeste threw open the apartment door and carefully closed it behind her. Suddenly, she fell to her knees, staring at the keys in her hand. _I-I-I'm dreaming. There's n-n-no way._ She shuffled across the ground on her knees, not thinking about the pain from her knee injury or how stupid she looked.

This omniscient narrator confirms she looked pretty fucking stupid.

When she reached her bed, (which was a small pile of pillows), she collapsed and stared at the ceiling. _I'm m- I'm moving to a hou- to a new house where I can stay unti- until I find a permanent one. I-I won't be homeless anymore._ Not noticing, tears began to stream down her face, drenching the pillows. _I can't wait, I'm so, so happy._ She curled up under the blanket and tightly clutched the keys, pressing them to her heart. Celeste smiled as her eyelids began to flutter, slowly leading her to a deep sleep.

 _Thank you Peanut Butter and Jelly Man._

 _S-Sorry, I mean,_

 _Uta._


	10. Horror

This chapter's kinda gory in some places. But it's a Tokyo Ghoul FanFiction sooo...Should've probably expected it.

* * *

Celeste opened her eyes to pitch black. She was hit immediately by the overwhelming stench of death and decay. _W-W-Where am I?! How did I get here!?_ Celeste panicked as she began to walk forward, slowly speeding up to a jog. "HELLO!?" Her voice didn't echo. It felt as though it disappeared the second it left her lips like she never said anything at all.

As her pace began to pick up, she realized the floor was getting softer, almost squishy. It made a cracking noise under Celeste's feet with every step she took. _What the fuck? What is this?_ She slowed as it became difficult to find her footing on the oddly textured ground. Getting injured again was the last thing she needed today, but of course…

Celeste tripped, landing face down on the strange floor. _Jesus fucking Christ really?_ She placed her palms on the ground, ready to push herself up, but stopped. The floor had a familiar softness that anybody could identify. _It's a...It'S A_

"BODY!?" Screeching, she stood up and tried to run, but now knew she was running atop helpless bodies of her own kind. Humans. _I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't I ca-_ She tripped again, headfirst into another body. Tears poured out her eyes as she screamed into the darkness for help.

"Help? You want help?" An older, unfamiliar voice caused Celeste to jump.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes! P-Please, help me!"

"Why should I help you?" the booming voice caused Celeste's ears to ring.

"I-I don't know where I am! I need to get out!" With no reply, she continued, "M-M-My name is Cele-"

"I KNOW WHAT YOUR NAME IS GIRL. YOU RUINED EVERYTHING FOR ME."

Celeste's breath hitched in her throat, blocking any words from escaping her mouth. _D-D-Do I know this person? What did I do? I haven't done anything. Please please, please._

A single lamp flickered alive in front of her, bathing the surroundings in light. She gazed down to confirm her suspicions. Every direction she looked were piles of naked bodies, all coming together to form a sea of skin. Celeste shut her eyes and screamed, but no sound came out. There was nowhere to stand, but on a human. A human with family, friends, lovers; and she was stepping all over them, causing their skin to bruise. She noticed bodies that bent in inhuman ways as though something had snapped their limbs. _That was the crunching sound…_ "N-N-NO," Celeste keeled over to vomit, but held it in when she saw faces staring back at her; faces she recognized.

"M-MOM?! MOMMY?!" Celeste's parents, Ophelia and Estella, lay still underneath her, covered in bruises and cuts from their daughter's shoes. She pulled herself close to Ophelia's face, trying to see if she was alive, "MOM?! IT'S CELESTE! IT'S ME!" she gently stroked her face and rested her forehead upon her mom's freckled one. "It's me, Mom. It's Celeste. Please wake up. I need you." Tears were falling from Celeste's eyes onto her mom's face, dripping down into her ginger hair.

Slowly, she looked over to her other mother who lay next to her mom, holding her hand. She scrambled across their cold skin to her mommy's face, "Mommy? Mommy, it's Celeste. Please wake up! PLEASE!" Slowly running her fingers through Estella's short hair, she looked forward at the lamp as Celeste's tears rolled down her lifeless body. She slowly lay down between them and closed her eyes, praying she could join them.

A quiet crunching sounded in the distance, causing Celeste to quickly look up. A figure began to approach, becoming more visible as it neared the light. It seemed to be a shirtless man, standing at about 10 feet. However, everything above its chest was far from human. _A-A-ARMS?_ 8 huge arms jut forward from its head which lacked any facial features; only wrinkled skin plastered from ear to ear. The monster had markings covering its body consisting of endless shapes and pictures.

 _Is it looking at me?!_ She stared at the disgusting creature as a huge mouth appeared on its horrifying face, releasing an inhuman screech that shattered Celeste's ears and the lamp, plunging her back into darkness.

The floor became solid underneath Celeste, and she quickly realized it was covered in liquid, about an inch deep. It was too thin to be blood and she prayed it was water. The surroundings lit up once again, revealing two identical girls each holding a candle. To Celeste, they resembled angels.

"H-H-Hello?" Celeste began to crawl slowly towards the twins, tears still dripping down her cheeks.

One smiled gently as the other grinned and excitedly waved, as though she knew Celeste. In harmony, their voices rang, "Celeste!"

"Y-Yes, that's me. Can you guys help me?"

They continued to smile and wave, "Celeste! Wake up! Come on!"

 _Wake up?_

"CELESTE!" Touka shook Celeste aggressively, on the verge of slapping her. Her eyes popped open and began to adjust to the light "Holy shit. I thought you were dead or something. Are you okay?"

Celeste froze and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. _I-I-I'm at Touka's. I'm alive. It was a dream. The worst fucking dream I've ever had._ She held her head in her hands and without realizing, began to cry.

"C-C-Celeste?" In a panic, she leaned down to her friend. "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

She gently nodded and rubbed her eyes, "Y-Yeah. I'm just...," a smile grew on her face, "I'm just happy it wasn't real."

Touka wrapped Celeste in her arms and ran her fingers through her hair, knowing how to calm her down. "Was it a nightmare about staying with Uta?" she joked.

Celeste had completely forgotten about Uta. "S-S-Shit, what time is it? Do I still have time to pack?"

"It's almost 11 pm. Have you been sleeping since 4:30?"

 _Holy fuck I guess I did._ "I never sleep that long." Celeste paused, "C-C-Can you text Uta and tell him I'm coming tomorrow instead of tonight?"

"Orrrrrr…" Touka pulled out her phone, "I could give you his number." She went to her contacts and sent Celeste a copy of Uta's info.

Texting and calling people made Celeste begin to shake. It was so awkward to communicate without seeing someone's face. Were they angry? Sad? She sighed as her phone vibrated. Shifting to grab it, the two keys clattered to the floor. _Huh? I forgot all about these. Was I holding them the whole time I slept?_ She picked them back up and stuffed them in her pocket. Unlocking her phone, she began to get antsy and fidgety.

Touka began boiling water for a healthy, fancy instant noodle dinner. "What? Are you afraid to text him?"

"H-H-Huh? No, no, no. I just want to choose my words carefully." Celeste slowly typed in Uta's number and wracked her brain for the best way to start.

 **Text Messages**

 **Uta and Celeste**

 **C:** Hi, Uta? It's me, Celeste! (^-^*)/ Touka gave me your number!

 **U:** hey its blue

 _I-Is he mad at me? Why is his message all lowercase?_

 **C:** I just had to let you know I'll be coming over tomorrow instead of tonight.

 **C:** I fell asleep and now it's too late! (*ノ_*)

 **U:** yeah that's fine. ill be here all day

 _W-W-Why does he type like this? Did I do something wrong?_

 **C:** I'll see you tomorrow! (◕ᴥ◕)

 **Hysy**

Uta gave a little laugh at Celeste's emoticons. He had never seen someone text like that, and he found it fucking hilarious.

He smiled at the screen as he added Celeste's name to his contacts.

'Blue (◕ᴥ◕)'

* * *

I really like emoticons, okay? Also, thank you thank you THANK YOU if you've for some reason read this far. I plan to write a lot more so hopefully you'll stick around?


	11. Settling In

"Is this all of it?" Touka remarked at how little Celeste had packed.

"Y-Yeah, it's pretty pathetic. Kaito didn't let me take anything when I left."

"What a fucking dick. _He's_ the one that cheated."

Expressionless, Celeste placed her hairbrush in the small cardboard box. _It's not his fault. I just wasn't good enough._ She sighed, "I guess I'm ready to go."

Touka gave a small, comforting smile as she opened the front door. _God, Uta please don't eat my friend. I'm fucking BEGGING you._

Celeste attentively walked down the apartment's metal stairs, avoiding injuries at all cost. "Ah, so ya decided to move out?" A plump man with short, greasy hair stood up from his plastic lawn chair, smoking a cigarette. Celeste and Touka despised the smell, but not as much as they despised the man himself, "I was lookin' forward to getting to know ya, Sweetheart."

"Y-Y-Yeah, too bad I can't stick around!" Celeste warily smiled at him. He was the landlord; the reason she couldn't stay with Touka, insisting she had to pay double rent if she wanted a roommate. However, Celeste knew the rule was made up out of spite. A few days prior, she had refused his advances; his _creepy_ advances. Immediately after, Touka got a letter saying she had to throw out her friend or pay up. _Everyone's lives would've been easier if I had just gone along with it. Nice job, Celeste._

"Well, we'll really miss ya, Ms. Celeste," he made an exaggerated pouty face, mocking her.

"Come on, let's go," Touka grabbed Celeste's shoulders and led her away from the landlord. _Fucking bastard. If he knew I was a ghoul, he wouldn't act like such an asswipe._

Celeste and Touka paused at the entrance of Hysy, looking at each other.

"I hope you enjoy your new, weird, strange home," Touka pulled her friend into a bear hug. _Uta, I swear to fucking God if you fuck anything up I will personally take it upon myself to fucking murder you._

"Y-Y-Yeah. It'll be f-fun." As Touka released her, Celeste knocked on the door.

 _Celeste, it's a store. You don't need to knock._

"This is a store. You don't need to knock," Uta answered the door so swiftly that it startled Celeste.

"AH!" she stared at him, then quickly grew embarrassed due to her sudden outburst. _COME ON CELESTE! FIX THIS._ "T-There's a spider on your shoulder! Let me get it for you." Touka and Uta watched as she awkwardly smacked his shoulder. "I got it! A-All better…"

"Thanks?" Uta stood confused as he looked at his shoulder. He returned his gaze to Celeste and Touka as he held the door open, "Well, come in so the spiders don't get you too."

Touka rolled her eyes. "I have a shift starting soon so I'm just dropping her off."

"Sounds like a mom dropping her kid at school."

"S-She just made sure I didn't get eaten on the way here." _Oh god, I can't do this. I can't do this. He's scarier than I remember. I wish he had kept the glasses on._ He had most of his hair up, with just a few strands hanging down; both eyes on full display.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Celeste. Text me in a bit when you've unpacked."

"Y-Yeah! Thank you!" Celeste pulled Touka into another hug, snuggling into her friend's neck.

"Just be safe," Touka replied, stroking Celeste's hair.

 _Like I said; a mom dropping off her kid at school,_ Uta smiled.

"I'll take you to your room first, then show you around downstairs," Uta carried Celeste's modest cardboard box as he led her up a short staircase to her new home. At the top, a lone, antique-looking door sat. Uta turned the doorknob and pushed, revealing a room almost as big as Touka's apartment. Propping the door open with a small piece of wood, he looked at Celeste, "Is this okay?"

It was obvious it had been an art studio at some point. Contrasting colors of dried paint dotted the ground, while some old easels leaned in the corner against a ladder. There were plenty of shelves, most empty after being cleared by Uta the day before. The room wasn't too dusty, as he had taken it upon himself to clean it as best he could.

Celeste was elated, and she couldn't hide it. She was grinning from ear to ear, "Y-Yes, yes, this is wonderful! Thank you so much!"

"I've put most of the stuff in storage. I just need to find a place for the rest of this stu-"

"K-Keep the stuff here! It's fine! I'll only take up like a quarter of the room."

He looked at her, squinting,"You're allowed to take up more than a quarter."

Celeste stumbled, "H-How about half? I'm not used to a big space."

"How about three quarters? Can you do that?"

"I-I-I'm not sure I can fill that much room."

"Give it your best shot," Uta put down Celeste's box on a wooden desk that held cups of various tools; pencils, paint brushes, rulers, etcetera. "How's the bed?"

Celeste's eyes scanned the room until she spotted the little bed. Her eyes widened, "I-I don't need a whole bed! A blanket in a corner is more than enough."

Uta sighed. _This girl won't give up._ "It's yours, Blue. That bed's been in storage as long as this store's been open."

This was a lie. He bought the frame and mattress yesterday.

Celeste gently sat atop the bed. _If it's as old as he says it is, I'm afraid it'll break._ Its frame was a smooth, dark brown wood that matched its beautifully carved headboard. She noticed the dark gray blanket she was sitting upon had detailed embroidery along the edges. The intricate pattern around its perimeter resembled shadows of trees while the center had a meticulously stitched moon surrounded by minuscule stars. She noticed the different constellations consciously created by the artist. The attention to detail was fascinating. "D-Did you make this?" Celeste questioned.

Uta was now dusting the top of a tall shelf with the sleeve of his sweater. The light gray dust stood out on his dark turtleneck. "No, I've never done embroidery."

This was also a lie. Uta made the blanket about a year ago, which Itori proceeded to poke fun at him for doing such a feminine activity. He had no problem doing feminine things, he wore skirts for Christ's sake, but felt embarrassed that a close friend had laughed at something he worked so hard on. So, into the attic it went.

"Nonetheless, it's beautiful," Celeste whispered as she traced her fingers over the detailed designs. Whether he noticed or pretended to ignore it, his heart fluttered at her words.

She glanced above her and immediately knew she had found her favorite part of the room. There was a huge window that showed off the evening sky, with its yellow and orange hues. The colored light painted the floor and wall with the beautiful shades of the sunset. Celeste was giddy with excitement as she thought of how the sky would look at night.

"I like the window too," Uta told her, snapping Celeste back into reality, "It brings in a lot of natural light." He paused and looked towards it, "Stars look really nice too." He stood there for a second, before returning to Celeste's box o' belongings. "Is this it?"

"Is what, what?"

"Is this all your stuff?"

"U-Uhh...technically I own quite a bit more than that."

"Where's it all?"

"Uhhhh...ha...ha...ummm…" Celeste cleared her throat, "It's still at my uhhh...old home."

 _Oh, shit._ Uta remembered. _The cheating boyfriend._ "So, this is all the stuff you have _access_ to?"

"Haha...ha...ha...yeah. Gotta remember to lift the box with my back, not my legs," she joked.

Uta raised his eyebrows, "Other way around. Please don't lift with your back, Blue."

Every time he used that nickname, Celeste was caught off guard. It felt like a jump scare that could pop up at any time to startle her. However, it was a great deal better than the landlord calling her 'Sweetheart.' _I suppose the nickname isn't the worst he could've chosen. Clumsy Gremlin would've also made a great one. It would've been more accurate._

"Do you plan on ever getting your stuff back?"

"Haha...no." Celeste didn't want to think about going near that house. The thought of it petrified her.

"Why not?" Uta was aware she hadn't made eye contact with him since she walked in, and he knew his curiosity wasn't helping. "Isn't it his fault? You dealt with his shit, so you deserve your belongings." It somewhat ticked him off that she didn't plan on getting revenge after what he'd done. She didn't even plan on _confronting_ him.

"I'd rather not go back there," she mumbled. Despite trying to hide it, Uta could see her lip quivering. "I have everything I need in here. Look." She picked up her box from the desk, and handed it to Uta, then decided to settle on the bed. Her legs still ached from her injuries.

To Celeste's surprise, Uta quietly took a seat on the bed next to her and folded his long legs, holding the box in his lap. Celeste's face began to heat up from being on such a small bed with Uta. _Too close, too close._ Meanwhile, Uta fiddled with the few objects she had handed him.

He picked up two small, wrapped items. "Two tampons. I'm no expert, but I think you need more than that."

"AH!" Celeste smacked them from his hand, sending the tampons flying across the room. "S-S-SORRY, I FORGOT ABOUT THOSE. I'm going to buy more soon so...j-j-just forget about that."

"Okay," Uta pulled out a small sketchbook. He knew some people didn't like to show their sketches, including him. "Can I look inside?"

"I-I-It's just my school sketchbook; mostly notes." Her eyes were wide, staring at the book, obviously freaking the fuck out. _Please don't open it, please don't open it._ She turned away, too anxious to watch.

Uta carefully began to turn the pages. As she bit at a fingernail, Celeste peeked out the corner of her eye, watching his deep eyes pour over all her notes and drawings. She never let anyone see her art; not even Touka. _Should I smack it out his hand just like I did the tampons? Should I tear out the pages so he'll never see the rest? Should I ask him to stop? Should I-_

"You're really talented, Blue," Uta said. He wasn't surprised. Continuing to paw through the book, he poked fun at her, "Your handwriting could use some work though." She continued to destroy her nails as her face got more and more red by the second. It felt as though she was being choked and held underwater at the same time. _Panicattackpanicattackpanicpanic-_

Uta heard Celeste breathing heavily, and leaned forward to check on her. She had purposely brought her bangs forward to render her anxiety undetectable. _Just stay calm. It's okay._ Uta delicately moved her bangs to the side to make sure she hadn't died, but if Celeste wasn't dead yet, she sure as hell was now. _I'M NOT CALM I'M NOT CALM MAYDAY MAYDAY I'M DYING I'M DYING_. Impulsively, she threw herself off the bed, face first onto the wood floor. _I might as well stay like this forever. I'll never get up. I won't have to look at scary guy anymore or awkwardly talk to Ken. I won't have to be such a weight on Touka while she's trying to live her own life. This wooden floor is my new home._

Uta had never personally dealt with anxiety, or feelings, for that matter. His emotions ranged from happy, to none. Though he looked like a guy who wallowed in sadness daily, he rarely touched it. He knew how to keep himself entertained if he noticed his feelings approaching 'none.' Usually it involved killing or eating. More often than not, these activities happened at the same time. However, this human couldn't do that. She seemed to have negative emotions when it came to _everything._ Surely she knew how to fix herself.

 _Uta, please leave the room and let me die in embarrassment by myself._ A few minutes of silence followed. It wasn't awkward; it felt more comforting.

"I made this blanket." Uta confessed as he extended his fingers to feel the stitching he hadn't seen in so long, "A friend teased me, so I shoved it up here."

Celeste remained lifeless on the ground, nose hurting from being face down. She whispered something so softly that a human wouldn't have been able to hear it, but Uta's ears easily picked it up, "Not much of a friend." He agreed, but quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It was too stressful.

He wanted to thank her for the earlier compliment. Surprisingly, no one had ever called his work beautiful. However, no matter how hard he tried, his gratefulness wouldn't leave the tip of his tongue. For a reason not even he knew, Uta refused to accept this girl's compliment. He decided the best thing was to lighten the mood by asking about the other items.

He pulled out a little pencil case that resembled a panda. It's beady eyes reflected his own, provoking a small smirk. He unzipped it to reveal various pastel pencils meticulously sharpened with the shortest one being blue; affirming her nickname. Uta carefully picked up a folded piece of paper shoved in the corner of the case and opened it. He had stumbled across the draft of a love note for Ken. _Whoops. Let's not bring this up._ "I like the panda case. It's cute."

Celeste mumbled into the floorboards, "Thanks."

Next, Uta pulled out a sleeping mask that resembled an orange and white cartoon fox. It had little ears with two shut eyes. Towards the bottom, there was a small black nose. _Maybe I should try making sleeping masks._ "I think your fox mask just inspired me to try my hand at sewing masks for sleeping."

Celeste slowly turned onto her back and pushed herself into a sitting position while carefully scooching to rest her back on the wall. "I-It helps when I take daytime naps. I think it calms me down." She hugged her legs against her chest and rested her cheek on her knee, looking toward the bed. "I could test out any masks you make if you want."

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled at her, but she still refused to make eye contact. Uta tried not to let this bother him. At this point, he knew Celeste was very different from anyone he had met. It definitely took some getting used to. He picked up a dog collar shoved at the bottom of the box and read the collar. _Michael Scott?_ "Did you have a dog named Michael Scott?"

She smiled and giggled, "Yeah, Mikey. I named him after a character on a TV show. It's a dumb name, but he's a dumb pup." Celeste was laughing with each word. It was obvious she loved her dog more than anything.

 _So, the dog isn't dead?_ "Where's he at?"

She took a deep breath through her nose, "Where do you think?"

 _Is her dog at the house as well? God fucking dammit. If she loves the dog so much, why would she leave him?_

As though reading his mind, she piped up, "Why did I leave my dog? It doesn't make sense, yeah?" She looked into her lap, "We fought over Mikey, even though he's my pup. My boyfriend," she paused, "Sorry, _ex-_ boyfriend, was literally pulling him from my arms. I couldn't stand the sound of him yelping in pain, so I gave up," she leaned back, resting her head on the wall," I know it's stupid and weak, but I didn't want to risk hurting Mikey." Celeste pointed at the collar, "That's the first one he had. Reminds me of when I adopted him a few years back."

Ghouls rarely had pets, and Uta found them pointless. It's one more thing to worry about in his life. But looking at Celeste's face, he realized how important he was to her. She loved the little hairy blob that peed everywhere and drooled on the floor. He didn't understand, but she made him _want_ to understand.

"Blue," he moved his long legs over the end of the bed and stood up, straightening his shirt. Uta took a step toward Celeste and crouched down to her level, holding out the dog collar, "Let's go get Michael Scott."

Celeste's gaze shot up as her eyes grew wide. "What?"

* * *

Yeah I named the dog Michael Scott


	12. On Our Way

"Y-Y-Y-You wanna go get my dog?" Celeste's looked extremely confused, but there was an undertone of excitement.

"Yup," It wasn't obvious, but Uta was looking forward to this. He hadn't had fun for a while, and this seemed sneaky, just how he liked it.

"Y-Y-You don't even know where my house is!"

"That's why you're coming."

Her voice became shaky, "I-I-I-I...I don't know if I can."

Uta sat in front of Celeste and looked her in the eye, causing her face to heat up. "It's obvious you love your dog. Let's just give it a try." Celeste lifted her gaze a little, peering at him out the corner of her eye, "You won't be alone. I'll be there."

There was silence while Celeste began to brainstorm every single thing that could go wrong in the situation. _Kaito could hit me. He might hit Uta. What if Uta hits Kaito so he's sent to jail and he loses his house and store so I'll be homeless aga-_

"Blue, it will be okay. I'll protect you if something comes up." he continued to look at her, cocking his head to the side, waiting for any movement. He reached forward and stuck out his pinkie. His only visible tattoos were the ones on his fingers that led up to his painted nails. She had actually forgotten he had tattoos due to his long turtleneck. "I pinkie promise." _I think people do this._

Celeste couldn't hold back a smile. Pinkie promises were childish, but here was a grown man deciding to do one. Slowly, she stretched out her arm and locked her small finger with Uta's much longer finger. She looked at their pinkies, then at him, feeling a flutter in her heart when she saw his pierced lips in a childlike smile. Don't misunderstand. Her heart fluttered from excitement, not because of Uta.

Uta and Celeste walked side by side down a brick slope, still wet from the rain. It was silent, except for the sound of footsteps splashing through small puddles. Celeste bit at some loose skin on her lip, her anxiety off the charts. She was going back to a house she never wanted to see again. _I can't be afraid. This is for Mikey. Uta is absolutely right. I deserve to have my best friend back._

A small brick jutted out from the rest, ready to hurt someone. No doubt, Celeste tripped on it. Her body tumbled forward, head aimed toward the hard ground.

In the blink of an eye, Uta jumped in front of Celeste, grabbing her hips and pulling her towards him to hold her close. They landed on the ground, Uta underneath Celeste; tightly holding her. She landed with her face just inches away from his. For a moment, they stared at each other, eyes wide in shock. It felt as though it lasted a lifetime.

Uta knew he had to pull her close to cushion her fall, but didn't mean to end up this close. He blinked a few times, trying to see where they ended up. All he saw was Celeste's round auburn eyes lingering on his. He stared back, as he had never looked at her face up close, and was curious. In the sunlight, her already bright eyes dazzled. He'd never noticed her brown irises were brilliantly speckled with gold.

Uta eyed Celeste's makeup attempts. She had tried to use eyeliner, but it was obvious she was shaky. Her mascara was thick and lumpy, clumping some of her eyelashes together. _I'll have to give lessons._

His eyes wandered across her olive skin to a beauty spot near her eyebrow. It was right where Uta's piercing was. _Huh._ She had tried to cover it with concealer, but the sweat had smeared it right off. He noticed the dark circles under her eyes, which she also had attempted to cover. Sadly, it was still obvious how tired she was.

Her cheeks were slightly plump and rosy; the same color as her nose and ears. _She's embarrassed._ He found two more beauty spots that sat on her left cheek. Again, she had tried to conceal them. _She really hates these moles._

Another spot sat on the bridge of her nose. The bridge was long, but the nose's tip was slightly stubby. She wrinkled her nose when she was anxious, and Uta immediately noticed. _Like a little mouse._

His eyes found her next beauty spot; underneath her bottom lip, which she was nipping at. It was in the same place as Uta's lip piercing. _Same spot again? Huh._ It was obvious that Celeste often chewed her bottom lip, but it didn't take away from their appeal. Her lips were full-bodied, glossy, and looked as soft as rose petals. Something in Uta wanted to caress her cheek and gently graze his lips over hers. That thought was immediately tossed out the window as soon as it came up.

It was the first time Celeste had seen the details of his face. Uta's lily-white skin was seamless. Like a porcelain doll. He quickly blinked, trying to get his bearings with this girl on top of him and Celeste thought his fluttering eyelashes resembled delicate butterflies. Her eyes observed every detail she had never noticed. His nose was perky and elegant, smoothly rounded at the end. The dark, curious eyes that had terrified Celeste, glistened in the daylight, highlighting his red irises. They were fascinating, and one word enveloped her mind: _beautiful._

She spotted his lip piercing and winced, but quickly overlooked it once she noticed his lips. They looked soft and gentle, smooth as silk. She imagined what they would feel like against her own lips, or grazing her skin. A heavy blush came to her face. _DON'T THINK ABOUT THAT._

His face was blank as his lips parted and whispered, "You're going to end up killing yourself if you keep this up." He pulled Celeste up to her feet, holding her hands, then quickly released them.

Celeste's eyes were wide as she stared at the ground, attempting to hold back tears. "I-I-I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." She lifted her head to make eye contact with Uta. "Thank you."

He started to walk forward, "I told Touka I'd protect you. So, I protected you." He stopped, "You'll need to lead. I don't know where the house is."

"O-Of course! It's about a mile, this way." She stared at the ground ahead, making sure not to trip again.

Uta didn't enjoy silence. Despite him not talking often, it was impossible to be alone without the TV or music blaring. He needed to start a conversation but didn't know where to begin.

Celeste was curious. The closer she became to this guy, the more she was dying to know. _S-Should I ask him a question?_

"Blu-"

"Ut-"

Celeste's face flared as she glared at her shoes and scratched at her arm. _I interrupted him. I shouldn't have opened my mouth._

Uta looked at her with his eyebrows lifted. She was the last person he would see starting a conversation. "You go first."

"N-N-No, it was completely my fault. You can go."

"I _want_ you to go first."

"U-U-Uhhh, okay…" she was shaking. _I FORGOT MY QUESTION. WHAT WAS MY QUESTION?_ "U-Uhhhhh...What is…" she struggled to form a sentence, "your favorite," _FAVORITE WHAT?_ "F-Favorite...food?"

 _I'm going to have to lie to her 'til the end of time._ "Easy. Orange chicken. I like Chinese food." _God, that sounds disgusting._

"I-I really enjoy Chinese too. We should get some sometime." she sounded excited.

"Yeah, that sounds great," _That sounds terrible._ "Is it my turn to ask?"

"Yes, sorry."

"Don't apologize." He knew his question should be tame and easy to answer. "Do you have a job?"

"I-I'm applying for one right now. There's a little bakery that I used to visit with my p-p-parents. I loved sitting outside and stuffing my mouth with breadsticks." she quietly laughed at the last part. "I wanted to work at Anteiku, but Touka says they're fully staffed. I just hope that Touka comes to visit me. Maybe she can bring other friends, like Ken." She rubbed her neck, "Maybe he'll visit alone. We're becoming pretty close, I think." Celeste was hiding the huge grin painted on her bright face.

Uta knew that Celeste could never be with Ken. He was a ghoul, and he wouldn't be surprised if Ken was already dating Touka. "Can I visit?"

Celeste's eyebrows jumped up as she opened her mouth, "I-I-I don't know. I'm sorry but, your…"

"Eyes?"

"I'm sorry, y-y-yes. They're a little spooky." Celeste looked ashamed.

"I'm joking, Blue." he looked down at her wavy hair that bounced with each step she took. "I hope you get the job."

"T-T-Thank you! I want to buy you dinner next week as a 'thank you'!"

"Looking forward to it." _...Oh, shit. Next week?!_ Uta had a meeting with the Clowns to discuss an upcoming auction. He led the group while their real leader was imprisoned. They also needed to brainstorm his rescue mission. "Shit, I'm sorry. I forgot I'm going to be gone next week."

"That's fine!" Celeste continued watching the bricks go by. "Where are you going?"

 _Fuck._ "Visiting some friends. I don't see them often."

"Well, you can count on me to watch the store." Celeste stopped walking then lifted her hand to her forehead in a salute. "I promise it will be in pristine condition."

"I trust you," he gave a small grin and continued walking. For the first time, Uta didn't want to be with the clowns. All he wanted was to spend more time with his newest acquaintance. "Blue, there's a rock."

Celeste quickly looked down, just in time to see the rock in the middle of the sidewalk. She gracefully hopped over, avoiding catastrophe. Celeste looked up to Uta, making rare eye contact. She gave a tiny grin, then looked away quickly.

"Thank you...Uta."

She rarely said his name, and it felt as though his heart stopped. His name rolled off her tongue as though she was singing a beautiful song... He wanted to hear it again and again…

Celeste slowed her pace and came to a full stop. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her hand and pointed toward a small house at the end of the block. "That's it. The light brown one." Uta stopped beside her and squinted. His eyebrows shot up when he realized which house she was pointing at.

It looked as though it was ripped from a magazine. It was a smaller house, probably two floors, like Uta's. There was a beautiful front yard with a stone path leading to the door. Flowers popped from the ground while pruned bushes lined the home.

Uta walked closer to get a better view as Celeste carefully trailed behind him. His face dropped when he saw it up close. The flowers and grass were nearly dead and the stepping stones were coated in slippery moss. To top it all off, someone had tossed beer cans out the window, landing in the bushes. Uta turned to Celeste, who was angrily looking at her surroundings. "He hasn't been watering the flowers? Goddammit, I worked so hard to take care of this place!" Her eyes widened when she saw the bushes, "W-W-What the fuck is this!? We have a recycling bin! Why can't he use it?!" She looked at the rocks, slick from moss. "D-Don't slip on these. I haven't washed them in a while."

Uta grinned, "This is funny. Usually, I'm the one telling you to not fall."

Celeste looked at Uta, cheeks tinted pink from embarrassment. "I swear the house looked nice a few weeks ago. H-H-He's just...ruined all my hard work."

"I didn't know you liked gardening." Uta continued looking at the dead blooms around him.

"I-I-I only met you two days ago."

"True." Uta fiddled in his jacket pocket and pulled out two items: a beanie and sunglasses. "Can't have anyone thinking I'm a ghoul." Sliding the dark shades onto his face, he looked to Celeste. "Here." He took out a hairpin and placed it between his teeth as he began pushing her bangs back. Removing the pin from his mouth, he secured her hair so none would fall in her face. Next, he covered her hair with the black beanie, tucking in any loose strands. As his willowy fingers grazed her face, she began to heat up.

 _MY HEART IS GOING TO EXPLODE OUT MY CHEST._ I'M _GOING TO COLLAPSE IF YOU CONTINUE BEING CLOSE TO ME ALL THE TIME._

He could tell she was uncomfortable and finished up as quick as he could. "There. That's your disguise."

Celeste looked upwards, "A hat?"

"A lucky hat. It will protect you."

She gazed at Uta, "Y-Y-You have a lucky hat?"

"Joking." Celeste frowned. His half-lidded eyes looked her over. She looked cute in the hat, especially with her big sweater. Like a little marshmallow on a chilly day. "I was going to wear it, but you look cold." He had spotted her tinted cheeks, nose, and ears.

She hadn't even noticed. As soon as he pointed it out, she realized how numb her nose and cheeks felt. Her ears were all nice a snug now, though. "S-Sorry. Thank you." They stood silently in front of the house for a few moments. "D-Do you have a plan?"

"Yup." This was a lie. He did not have a plan. He rubbed his neck as he brainstormed what they could possibly do. "Which room has your things?"

"Uh...Probably our bedroom. It's the window over there with the curtain closed."

"Okay…I'm going to break in that window."

"Huh!?"

"And you distract your ex."

"HUH!?" Celeste's mouth dropped open as her chest felt kicked inwards. "I-I-I can't do that. I really can't."

Uta stared at the front door and observed a door knocker in the shape of a cat. "Try and occupy him. I only need five minutes."

"H-H-How should I do that?!"

Uta scanned the yard, thinking of what she could do. Suddenly, his gaze shot to Celeste's leg, remembering her injury. "Pretend you tripped and need help."

"I-I-w-w-t-t-k-k-w-wHAT?"

"Pretend you just happened to be in the neighborhood."

"THAT'S AN AWF-"

Uta reached his long arm forward and knocked. Celeste's heart dropped the second his knuckles hit the hardwood. "You'll do great." He lightly smiled and pinched her cheek, not really sure how to reassure her. _Now, I have a mission._ His feet crunched on the dead grass as he made his way to the window.

 _Should I hide in the bushes? Should I run? Shou-_ Celeste's eyes grew as she heard the knob turn and the hinges squeak. Her face was painted scarlet as she held her breath, waiting for her ultimate demise.


	13. The Fight

**WARNING**

Mention of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse.

Alsoooo, sex, but not described.

* * *

The door creaked open as an attractive man with scraggly blond hair and crystal blue eyes peeked through the crack. He proceeded to scan Celeste up and down, "You look like shit."

The second Celeste saw his eyes, she melted. All their great memories smacked her in the chest as she remembered how much she had loved him. She may have never stopped loving him.

 **4 Weeks Ago**

"Why do you sleep in so damn late?" Kaito viciously dried his hair with a towel,

Celeste stretched her arms, yawning as she hopped out of bed. "My classes only start at one o'clock. Also, it's hard for me to wake up because of the medication."

He glared, "I don't see the point of your pills. I mean, we all get sad sometimes. We all get afraid. Why do you need meds for it? Also, they're fucking expensive, and you won't get a job."

Celeste scratched her neck as she opened the drawer that held her meds. Staring at them, she sulked. "I guess...I'll think about stopping them."

Kaito approached from behind and forcefully pulled her into his arms, "I just worry about you, Cellie." He lifted her long hair and began planting kisses up and down her neck. Celeste melted into the feeling, her face turning a shade of pink.

 _I'm so lucky._

He let her go and began walking toward the closet, "I'm going out with friends today until about 4."

"That's fine!" Celeste pranced to the bathroom, full of joy after Kaito's small display of affection, "I'm working on a science project after school, so I'll only be home at about 5."

"Sounds good," Kaito smirked.

Celeste hopped out of the shower and dried off, gently brushing her wet hair. Wrapping herself in a towel, she stared into the fogged mirror. Whatever was behind the fog terrified her, and she refused to look. She was just fine looking at a blurry image. _No need to show me the details._

As she entered the bedroom, Kaito tucked his phone under the blanket. Turning toward Celeste, he scanned her body with a blank face, "Have you been working out?"

She beamed, "Y-Yeah, quite a bit," It was true. She had been using the school gym to work out whenever she had free time. She was a little plump and Kaito had said multiple times that he wasn't a fan. There were multiple days Celeste skipped her meals. Touka insisted that 150 pounds was perfect, but it wasn't good enough for Kaito. "C-C-Can you see a difference yet?"

He pouted, "Nope, doesn't show. Keep it up though."

Celeste's body turned scarlet, embarrassed that nothing had changed. She walked to her closet, trying to suck in her tummy.

Pulling up her white stockings, she worked carefully to avoid tearing. Everyday, she would find one of her pairs ripped apart. _Is it because of my weight? Are they too small?_

She zipped up her red skirt that fell just above the knee before she threw on the white dress shirt and buttoned it up to her neck. After a difficult search, she found her red tie in the back of the closet, tied in a knot. As she untangled it, she asked, "Did you make this big knot?"

He looked over, his eyes getting wide. "I was just practicing some knots."

She continued untangling the red fabric which was now creased. She didn't have time to iron it. "Oh, okay." Expertly, she looped it around her neck and pulled it tight as she sauntered towards the vanity. Taking a seat, she stared into the mirror. Sadly, this one wasn't foggy. She could see herself clearly. The dark circles under her eyes were a trademark at this point. Same with the acne, which had gotten worse in the last few days. _Probably from the layers of makeup. I'll skip the concealer today._ Trying to steady her hand, she carefully applied eyeliner, but it came out squiggly anyway. Then she applied her cheap, clumpy mascara to her lashes in an attempt to make them appear longer.

Kaito came up behind and looked at her in the mirror. "Are you gonna cover the moles?"

Celeste was afraid this was going to happen. She knew he didn't like the spots on her face. "My skin is getting oily and bumpy from the makeup, so I'm going to skip it for today."

He scoffed, "So, now you've got acne _and_ moles? You're going to look like a fucking pizza."

Celeste's heart dropped. _He's absolutely right._ He turned around and hopped back on the bed, pulling out his phone. "Who're you texting?" she asked out of curiosity. _Probably discussing plans with friends for later._

Kaito locked eyes with Celeste, "None of your damn business. It's my phone."

She froze. _What? What did I say?_ She wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear. _He's being mean again. Please, stop._ "I'm going now." He was silent. "Like I said, I'll be back at around 5."

"Dinner?"

She was caught off guard, "Y-Yeah, I'll pick up something on the way home." As she turned the doorknob, she forced a smile, "I...I love you."

"I'll love you when you stop poking your nose in my business." He remained focused on the phone.

"Of course...sorry." She shut the door behind her, took a deep breath, and descended down the wooden stairs to the kitchen.

"Hey, Mikey Mikey!" she spoke in a high voice when she spotted her dog seated on the sofa. "What you watchin' there?" Michael Scott was sitting on his bum, watching the news. "Hey, Mikey…don't you think this show is for adults?" She glanced at the screen and shivered. _More ghoul attacks._ This time, the ghoul expert (she wouldn't be surprised if he was a ghoul) was on, talking about a ghoul known as 'The Gourmet.' Celeste's face twisted as he described the way victims were prepared as fancy meals. _Oh, Christ, Lord, Jesus, God._ She looked at Michael who was now staring back with brown beady eyes, as he licked his squashed nose. "How about soooome…?" Michael Scott's eyes became huge and round, waiting for the next word. "BREAKFAST?" He bounced off the couch and began squealing. She ran over the cupboard, sliding across the floor in her stockings, and pulled out his food, driving Mr. Scott crazy. She scooped some into his customized 'Mr. Michael Scott' bowl that Celeste had made a few weeks after adopting him. As she grabbed her school bag off the counter, Mikey, still chewing, looked up from his bowl and saw that his mommy was leaving. "I'll be back later my boy! I love you lots!"

She opened the door and stepped out, smiling when she saw how well the flowers were doing. She had spent her whole weekend making sure they were comfortable; it seemed to have paid off.

Every morning, she rode the public bus to her campus. Missing it would inconvenience Kaito, as he'd have to drive her. The car ride was never pleasant.

She pulled out her makeup bag and took out her concealer. Using her phone camera as a mirror, she dabbed it over her beauty spots, trying to hide them. For the most part, she succeeded.

Houses flew by as she stared out the window. Her mind wandered to her boyfriend with his wild hair and deep blue eyes. His skin was flawless and smooth, along with his lips which were strong and assertive. (Sometimes it was a little too assertive, but she loved them nonetheless.) Celeste's heart pulsed fast as he filled her thoughts, _I love him so much. I want to be with him for the rest of my life. I know that underneath his anger, there's an affectionate prince charming._

He had always been assertive and angry, no matter the situation. Any frustrations, even if Celeste had no involvement, were taken out on her. Usually, it was verbal. It occurred so often, she had become accustomed to putting it off as a personality trait. _It's better that he takes it out on me instead of someone else._

Every so often, he was physically abusive. He always made sure not to leave marks where people could see them. Of course, it hurt, but nobody could see it. _Out of sight, out of mind._

On occasion, usually when he was drunk and extremely angry, the abuse was sexual. _Every guy acts irrationally when they're drunk. Just put up with it._ It always hurt so fucking much and would cause her pain and bleeding for days, but she pretended it didn't bother her.

Celeste believed she could change his character. She pushed his crummy traits to the back of her mind. To Celeste, his insults were like water off a duck's back. _He just wants me to become a better person, and he cares about me. Why would he stay if he didn't?_

The school day flew by. The only pleasant moment was when she sat with Touka at lunch. Touka occasionally asked questions about Kaito, but that agitated Celeste. She always assumed Touka was trying to bad mouth her boyfriend, so it was a subject they avoided.

After school, Celeste marched up three flights of stairs to the science lab. By the time she reached the top, she was sweating waterfalls. She was physically fit, but sweating was her unavoidable talent.

As she dried her forehead, she carefully pushed the door, but it refused to open. _Is this the right room?_ She looked up and down the hallway, but nobody was in sight. Out the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a small sticky note messily thrown onto the wall.

 **Class 2-A:**

 **No after-school labs.**

 **Professor has flu.**

 **Sorry for any inconvenience.**

Celeste frowned and slouched over, "Augh...c'mon. I was excited..." She stood up and made her way to the front entrance, down the long college steps, and arrived at the small bus stop. _Maybe Kaito and I can go to dinner tonight._ She looked down at her shoes, _I hope he doesn't drink too much with his friends. I want one nice evening of snuggling and TV. We haven't done that in a while._ Stepping into the bus, she took a deep breath. If Kaito was angry, she would just have to deal with it.

When she arrived home, she noticed Kaito's car parked in the driveway. _I thought he'd drive to his friend's, but maybe he got a ride._

She fumbled around for her house key, and unlocked the door. Sitting on the sofa was Mikey, watching cartoons. "Hey, my boy! Have you been a good boy today?"

Michael snorted with excitement as he danced around Celeste's ankles.

She crouched to his level, "Is Daddy home? Is he here?"

Mikey cocked his head from side to side, listening carefully to the questions. He turned and trotted toward the stairs.

"Ah, so he is here. What a good boy!" She rubbed Mr. Scott's small head and began to walk upstairs, Mikey skipping behind.

She tiptoed down the hall, in case Kaito was napping. Suddenly, she heard loud noises coming from their bedroom. _A BURGLAR?! WHAT DO I DO, WHAT DO I DO?!_ Shaking, she bent down and whispered to Michael, "Stay behind me, okay?"

Mikey licked her face and backed up to let Celeste go ahead.

Celeste reached the bedroom door and stared at the knob. It sounded like things were being broken and destroyed. _I can do this, I can do this._ Slowly, she reached out for the door, _I can do this!_ She quietly turned the knob _I can d-_ and froze as she heard voices. One was Kaito's. The other was... _Akane's?_ Akane was Celeste's childhood friend who had lifted her up after her parents were slaughtered by ghouls. _W-W-Why is Akane-?_ She ignored the dread that pooled in her stomach. _I love both these people. They wouldn't hurt m-_ Celeste threw open the door to a scene worse than she imagined.

Akane was bent over the side of the bed while Kaito was...well…(No smut this chapter, sorry. Much, much later maybe.) fucking her. Her hands had been tied together with Celeste's red tie while she wore her spare school uniform for some sort of roleplay. _This is why my tights are always torn. This is why my ties are in knots. This is why there are holes in my shirts. This is why he was happy I'd be out longer. This is why...This i...This…_

Akane stopped as she heard someone open the door. Seeing it was Celeste, her face flushed. Kaito turned around, expecting the worst.

For a few seconds, they all stared at each other, not sure where to go from there.

"W-W-Why?" Celeste muttered, staring at Kaito. He hadn't even the decency to pull out of Akane while Celeste talked to him.

Akane spoke up, "Celeste. I'm so sorry. We were drunk a-a-and this is just a one time mistake." She tried to push Kaito off, but he remained in place.

Kaito stared at Celeste, who was trembling, "You know what? This isn't a mistake."

"Man, stop! Let me up!" Akane began to untie the knot around her hands.

"This is your fault Cellie," he held Akane down.

"SHIT, KAITO, this really hurts, please stop!"

"You always have to ask questions and be so curious. You even came home early because you had suspicions I was cheating, right? You'll never learn to keep your FUCKING NOSE OUT OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS." Akane continued struggling as he continued, "You aren't normal. You won't get a job, you spend MY hard earned money on 'happy pills' just so you don't feel FUCKING AFRAID. I'm FORCED to live with someone who never has fun or comes to parties. You refuse to leave your pathetic bubble or try anything new."

Akane had managed to untie her hands and flip around to face him. She smacked him hard across the face, leaving a huge, red handprint. He stumbled back, holding his head as Akane grabbed her clothes, threw celeste aside, and sprinted out the door. Celeste forgot how to move or speak. All she could do was stare at the ground.

Zipping up his pants, Kaito turned around slowly to look at Celeste, "Why do you always get in the way of my fun?" He took a step forward, "You couldn't just trust your own boyfriend to be faithful, while you're probably at school fucking every guy you see."

"What?! I-I-I would never do that! Kaito, I love you!" She took a small step towards him. "Please listen to me! You're all I have! I-I-I can forgiv-"

"I don't need forgiveness! I need you to stop being such a fucking pussy! You embarrass me wherever we go, and get scared of every little thing you see! It's no surprise that I want to be with other girls. It gives me a fucking break from babysitting you." Celeste was petrified as he took a step forward. His face settled as he clutched and pulled her into his forceful arms, "Look, Cellie. I love you with all my heart. I'm hoping one day to marry you, but you need to work on changing yourself."

Celeste was frozen, her face blank, with tears falling out her eyes, dripping onto Kaito's shoulder. "Y-Y-You want to marry me?"

He shoved away from Celeste, looking at his shoulder, "Aw, fucking gross. Why'd you have to cry on me." He looked her in the eyes, "Of course I want to marry you. You're my little Cellie. We've spent 3 incredible years together. You just need to work harder."

She gave a small smile, looking into his blue eyes, "I-I'd marry you if you asked."

"Again," he said in a frustrated tone, "you'll need to change some things, but I know you can do it." He ruggedly kissed Celeste's forehead.

She beamed. _He really loves me. He said he wanted to marry me. He might be less angry if we get married. We might even have children! I know if I'm kind enough, I can fix him._ "When we get marri-"

Kaito interrupted, "If. IF we get married,"

"Y-Yes, if we get married," she took a deep breath, "will you stop seeing other girls?"

Kaito's eyebrows furrowed as his face turned bright red. His lips turned into a snarl as he clenched his fists, "You know you don't have the authority to tell me what to do. You're already in a risky situation, and I don't think you want to be preaching to me." He relaxed and reached out to her, stroking her cheek, "Now stop this crying and nagging. I'll consider giving up other girls if you work to change."

Celeste placed her hand over his, smiling as he pet her. It felt more like pinching than petting, but she was fine with it. "C-C-Could we start by holding hands?"

"Our hands are touching right now."

Celeste gently grabbed his rough hands and looked at him with hope in her eyes. "I m-mean, in public. L-Like, at the store together."

Kaito yanked his hands away, "WHAT DID I JUST FUCKING SAY? DO YOU EVEN FUCKING LISTEN?" He pushed her backward, stomping to the other side of the room, "I TOLD YOU TO STOP FUCKING NAGGING ME." He fiercely snatched a small figurine off a side table and looked up, his gaze piercing through Celeste. "If you keep this up, you'll lose a lot more than a shitty cartoon figurine." He held it in his hand, tossing it repeatedly in the air.

"NO! Please don't! Kaito, you know that's from my parents!" It was a small glass statue of a character from her favorite childhood anime. Her parents spent a lot of money to get this special figure for her birthday.

"They're fucking dead, Celeste! Move the fuck on!" Winding his arm back, he pitched it at Celeste. He had thrown things before, but never important items.

It missed her head, smacking her in the stomach instead. It absorbed the blow and she attempted to catch it, but failed. She watched as it crashed to the floor and the head severed right off.

"See, you're so fat that it bounced right off! 150 pounds doesn't look too great Cellie!"

"K-Kaito, please stop." She felt dizzy as her body went numb.

"MORE FUCKING NAGGING. THIS. BITCH. JUST. DOESN'T. STOP." He opened Celeste's side drawer and grabbed a small pile of pictures.

Celeste held her voice, but she was screeched on the inside. _The oldest pictures of my parents. Their high school days, when they met in college, the day I_ was adopt _-_

 ** _RIIIIIIP_** Celeste stared at Kaito as he began tearing each photo individually. She couldn't hold back. She ran forward and awkwardly vaulted across the bed, confronting him face-to-face, "KAITO, PLEASE STOP. I'M BEGGING YOU. I'LL DO ANYTHING."

"Then get out."

Besides the distant sound of Mikey's collar, it was silent.

Celeste's lips slightly parted, "What?"

"If you're going to act like this, I don't need you."

"G-G-Give me one more chance! I'm sor-"

"Then let me rip up the pictures. Show me that I'm more important."

Celeste froze, eyes moving between Kaito's face and the photos he held.

 _My parents are more important._

"M-M-My parents." She stretched her hand toward the photos, "Please."

"Get the fuck out." He grabbed Celeste by the arm and slammed her against the wall, hitting her head hard. He took a handful of hair and pulled her onto the ground, dragging her towards the door.

Celeste didn't know what to do. It hurt so fucking bad. _What did I do? What did I do?!_

She was dragged past Mikey, who loudly yipped at Kaito. Celeste shut her eyes as she prepared for the staircase ahead. Instead of dragging her down, he let go and kicked her, sending her tumbling. She found footing toward the bottom stair, but felt too dizzy to stand. All she could do was crouch into a ball and hold her head. _It hurts so fucking bad._

"Get the fuck out," he pointed at the door.

"Le-Let m-me ge-t m-my st-uff." She struggled to stand up. The room spun around her. She crawled back toward the room, wanting to get her belongings.

"Oh, no you don't." Kaito planted his foot on her head and kicked her back. Hard. She lay on the ground, bawling, as the unmistakable taste of blood coated her mouth.

 _I don't want to live without you. I can't live without you._ Her voice couldn't come out.

He bent down and mocked her. "Do I have to drag you outside like a bag of garbage?"

"I'm...g-g-going now." Celeste reached out to pull in Michael, who had been next to her, trying to bite Kaito.

"You're not taking the dog."

"N-No, pl-please."

He reached down and wrapped his arms around the dog, aggressively pulling him up. Celeste gripped Mikey's legs for dear life.

As something inside him snapped, Mikey squealed in pain. Celeste immediately let him go, sobbing and screaming as Michael continued shrieking.

"NOW, GET THE FUCK OUT BEFORE I DECIDE TO BEHEAD THE DOG JUST LIKE YOUR PRECIOUS GLASS SHIT."

Celeste blinked multiple times to clear her vision from the tears. She couldn't fight. It was hopeless. Dragging herself across the floor, she leaned on the front door and turned the knob to leave. The door swung open from her weight, and she stumbled outside, scraping her knees on the rocks. She turned her head to look back, but the door was already shut.

All she had to her name was her cell phone and the bag she has at school. Celeste began stumbling down the rock path, but lost balance and tumbled onto the grass. She took out her phone and searched for Touka's number. Her vision was so blurred, the words were nearly unreadable.

"Hello?"

She lay on her back as light from the vivid sunset enveloped her broken figure, turning the scene into a somber painting. Celeste gently dabbed her lip with the sleeve of her jacket, staring at the fresh blood that soaked into the fabric.

"Tok...Celes-"

"Celeste?! What's wrong?!"

Her head pounded as Touka's deafening voice hit her ears. She searched her brain for a response, rummaging through a splitting headache.

"H-Help."

* * *

SORRY THERE WERE LITERALLY NO TOKYO GHOUL CHARACTERS. NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BETTER.


	14. Breaking and Entering

"H-H-H-Howdy!" Celeste raised her hand and gave a light wave along with an unconvincing smile.

Kaito squinted as he leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms. "What are you doing here?"

Celeste stood motionless, overwhelmed by nostalgia. She crinkled her nose as Kaito's cologne wafted through the air. The aroma made her chest tighten and throat burn. _Oh, God._ _Why am I here? This was a terrible idea._ Her teeth began to chatter involuntarily.

"Well? What do you want?"

 _Why am I here? Why am I here? I don't rememb-_ She heard the sound of glass shattering. _Fuck, that's why I'm here._

Kaito flinched, startled by the noise, "Wha-What was that?!"

 _QUICK! DISTRACT HIM!_ "K-KAITO!"

He pivoted back to Celeste, annoyed. "What?!"

 _Acting 101 freshman year, don't fail me now._ Paltry tears began to run down her cheeks. She stared at Kaito with a strained expression. "I fell down and hurt my knee really bad." Forcing some sad sniffles, her crying became more aggressive, "It's a three mile walk home, and I don't have bandages." Her tears began flowing, dripping to the ground. "You're the only one who can help me." She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes, "Could I borrow the first aid box?"

"No."

She began to sweat as the panic set in, _C'mon, c'mon. What can I do?_ Her eyes lit up. _I know what you can't refuse._ "I'll give you a little something as a 'thank you.'" She winked, her eyes lighting up with seduction. _I feel disgusting._

Kaito was taken aback. "U-Umm…" He ran his hand through his wispy hair, staring at Celeste. "What are we talkin' here?"

"Whatever you want us to talk about." She ran her tongue over her lips as she forced her arms together, trying to make her breasts appear bigger.

Silently, he studied her body, smirking, "C'mon in."

 _That's it._ Uta gazed upwards at the second story window. His strength alone would be enough to get up without his kagune; it was as easy as a small hop. Gripping on to the window frame with one hand, he balled his other into a fist and swung it through the glass, causing a large shattering sound. _Didn't consider how loud that would be._

With a newly made entrance, he swiftly pulled himself up, vaulting inside. He had arrived in what appeared to be a master bedroom, walls painted white with a queen sized bed dressed in lime green. A big wooden closet sat flush to the wall along with a white vanity, which was home to a scarce amount of makeup; some concealer, mascara, etcetera. The basic stuff.

Mixed up in everything were empty beer cans, crushed and thrown about, while ladies' lingerie were scattered about the room. It was obvious there had been many women there recently.

In the corner stood a stack of varied boxes, all filled to the brim. Each had huge 'C's written in thick black marker. _C for Celeste?_

He opened the widest box and saw he was correct. They were boxes of Celeste's belongings. One of them was filled with paints and sketchbooks, while another had various articles of clothing. His eyes focused on a small box he hadn't opened and curiosity overtook him. _Fine Uta, I'll open it if you insist._ He pulled up the flaps and peered inside. The corners of his mouth slightly turned up as he saw photos, toys, and random personal belongings. He hadn't known Celeste for very long, but he knew her personality rested inside that box.

Uta plucked off his sunglasses and rested them on his head, wanting to take a closer look. He picked up a photo of two women, sitting beside each other on a lush, green hillside. A caption was scrawled on the back: 'Ophelia and Estella - 3 year Anniversary.' _Humans are lucky._ He stared at the photo through his heavy lidded eyes. N _ever needing to worry about life or death._ Envy sat deep in his chest, but he took no notice.

Uta noticed many of the photos were ripped. He took two halves and placed them together, forming a picture of a young girl with a wide toothless grin. She looked proud to say goodbye to her baby teeth. Her tan skin was dotted with small moles while her chocolate colored hair sat in two buns atop her head. _Huh, it's Blue._ The back read, 'The tooth fairy took all of Celeste's teeth!' He smiled. Things like the tooth fairy and Santa were rarely heard of in ghoul culture, but seeing how happy a pretend character made little Celeste, he appreciated the fables more than he had before.

Off to the side, a glass figurine of a heroine rested; the head severed. _I know you._ Uta loved cartoons, despite rarely seeing them when he was younger, (maybe one or two if they broke into a human's home.) Humans had the privilege of sitting and staring at a screen while ghouls spent every moment trying to stay alive.

When he decided to live more like a human, one of the first things he did was explore the world of television. The news made him livid, seeing all the stories about ghouls, but cartoons caught his interest. It was art of course.

Softly, he held the delicate glass head between his fingers, observing it closely with his somber eyes. _Really detailed. Shame it's broken._

He pieced together another photo. Ophelia and Estella stood on either side of young Celeste who donned a sparkling blue dress. Smiling from ear to ear, they showed off a piece of paper that read, 'Certificate of Adoption.' Tears ran down their faces as their eyes glimmered with joy. Uta had never seen anyone happier. The back read, 'Our first day as an official family. Ophelia + Estella + Celeste = Love.' A combination of happiness and envy spiraled in his stomach. He put down the torn photo and closed up the box.

 _Her boyfriend didn't let her bring any of this? That's cruel._ Celeste never mentioned stealing back her belongings, but Uta saw it as an entertaining challenge. He pulled out his phone and skimmed through the contact list.

"Yomo speaki-"

"Renji, it's me."

There was an audible sigh on the other side of the line, "What?"

"I need you to bring the car to this address," he listed off his location. Silence. "Renji? Hel-"

"I heard you." Yomo paused, took a deep breath, then spoke in a hushed tone, "Does this involve the human?"

Uta became frigid. _Did Touka tell him?_ He shut his eyes and thought for a second, _I would've told Renji eventually._ "I-I'll explain once you get here."

Once more, Yomo sighed. "Don't drag me into your midlife crisis."

Uta's brows knit together in frustration. "You're my friend, and I'm not in my midlife. It's a strange situation, and I need your help."

"Call Itori."

He grimaced, "It's a human _girl._ You know how she'd feel about that." Itori had been attached to Uta since they were children. She constantly went out of her way to grab Uta's attention, and it made him extremely uncomfortable. If she found out there was a girl living with him, all hell would break loose. She would tell the Clowns and Celeste could end up slaughtered. He rubbed his forehead. _Why had I not thought this situation through more?_

Yomo took a deep breath, "Fine. When do you need me there?"

Uta's eyes shot open, "ASAP."

"Okay, okay. See you in a sec." He quickly hung up.

Uta closed the boxes and moved them toward the window, for an easier exit. _The dog. The dog is why I'm here._

He soundlessly moved across the floorboards toward the exit. Immediately, he heard the voices that flowed from downstairs: Celeste's and, Uta presumed, Kaito's. Closing his eyes, he focused his senses to pinpoint any other life in the house. He recognized an animal, and two humans. _All clear_.

Slowly, he made his way towards the room where he sensed animal. As he pushed open the door, rancid air spilled out and smacked him in the face. _Lord Jesus._ A cage sat in the middle of the tiled bathroom floor, housing a small dog with a squished nose. He wore a blue collar that was way too big for his unnaturally thin body. His ribs jutted out and it looked as though his leg was badly injured. He panted heavily, staring at the wall with his small eyes glazed over. When he noticed Uta, he weakly lifted a paw and rested it on the side of the cage, quietly whimpering.

"Uhhhh…Hm...Mike? Mick?" _What was your name?_ Hmmmm...Michael? Michael Scott? Is that it?" As he heard his name, the dog's tail slowly began to wag from side to side. Uta crouched next to the cage and rested his hand where the dog's paw was. Mikey's black beady eyes reflected his own and he couldn't help but smile.

Quietly, he unlatched the cage and helped Michael out. With each step, he whimpered and yelped in pain. Uta picked him up and held him close, not sure how to comfort an animal. _"_ I guess you'd like some water." Uta carried him to the sink and turned the tap on, quiet enough that no one would hear. Holding Michael in one arm like a small baby, he cupped his available hand beneath the faucet, collecting water. He brought his hand up and placed it in front of Michael. After a few sniffs of the strangers hand, Mikey began licking Uta's palm as thought it was his water bowl. Uta continued until Michael looked as if he finished. He wasn't sure what to do next. All he could do was wait for Yomo.

He snuck back to the bedroom, and placed Michael on the bed. His filthy paws left prints on the light green fabric, but Uta paid it no mind. _The color's gaudy anyway._ One at a time, Uta picked up Celeste's boxes and dropped them into the yard. Michael Scott watched from the bed as a strange man in sunglasses stole their belongings. However, Mikey didn't mind. The man held him just like his mommy did. He hadn't been held in a while.

Once Uta had finished moving the boxes, he began listening to the conversation that echoed down the hallway. Michael had fallen asleep, happy that he had something more comfortable than a cage.

"T-Thank you," Celeste took a seat as Kaito retrieved the bandages from the kitchen cupboard. She eyed the familiar living room where she had spent countless days and nights. At times she had been too worried to sleep alongside Kaito, so cuddling under a blanket on the sofa was the next best option. The room appeared foreign with the lack of fluffy blankets or the small dog burrowing in her lap.

"Where ya living?"

"Oh, uhh…" _Should I tell him the actual ward?_ "Uhhh...4th ward."

"Ah, didn't wander far." Their house, I mean, Kaito's house was located in the 3rd ward. It was only about 4 miles away from HySy. Celeste only now realized she should've left Tokyo, instead of wandering between each ward. _These decisions could bite me in the ass later._

"Y-Yeah, my friends are here in Tokyo. Same with my school." Celeste looked down into her lap, twiddling her thumbs.

"I assumed you'd have pussied out of school by now. 'Toooo stresssfuuullll' you'd say."

It felt as though he had punched her in the gut, "Haha, yeah. I'm still," she gave a weak thumbs up, "still chugging along."

"There's that weird Cellie humor." Kaito took a seat next to her as he pinched her cheeks.

 _Ow, that hurt!_

He was about to wrap her knee in a bandage, but paused, "This is pretty much a scab. It's not bleeding or anything."

 _Shit._

Kaito placed his hand on her knee, slowly moving it up to her thigh, "Could it be that you missed me?"

Her face turned beet red as she continued staring at her lap, _God, I forgot how handsome he was. If I tried harder, he might let me live here again. I'd have my home back. I'd have someone who loves me._

"If you miss me _that_ much, maybe we can spend some nights together," he continued to run his hand up her thigh as he placed his other hand on the arch of her back, "When I'm bored, I'll call you over and we can have some fun together. How does that sound?" He grinned as he rubbed up and down her back, sending shivers down her spine.

 _When you're bored? I can come over when you're bored?_ Celeste pulled away and attempted to stand up, but he pulled her back in and aggressively planted his lips on hers. Startled, a small squeal escaped her throat, but she quickly shut up as Kaito became more aggressive. _He doesn't love me. He only wants me for sex...Should I say yes? I want to say yes._

Uta stood at the top of the stairs, watching their interaction unfold _. Shit._ Quickly, he grabbed Michael Scott and climbed out the bedroom window, landing gracefully on the grass. He gently placed the thin, frail animal on the soft grass, "Stay right here. I'll be back soon with your mom." Mikey lay down next to the boxes and wagged his tail. Uta awkwardly patted the dog's head, not sure how to praise him.

Thankfully, Uta had thought of a plan to get Celeste out the house. He thought it was a genius idea, but anybody else would say it was dumb. Standing up, he yanked out his hair tie, causing his longer hair to fall down. It didn't look much different from when his hair was up, but Uta liked keeping the longest strands off his neck. He parted his hair and brushed half onto the shaved side of his head, giving the appearance of a full head of hair. _Can't switch faces for a disguise in front of Blue, but this'll do._ He opened Celeste's box of clothes and searched for anything that looked fancy. _Here we go._ He located a small red bowtie that he could clip right to his black turtleneck. Uta got down to Michael Scott's level and whispered, "I'll be back." The pup wagged his tail in response.

 _Stop, stop, stop…_ Scooping her up, Kaito carried her to the couch, and set her down. He mounted her stomach and continued aggressively kissing her. _I want to leave, I want to leave! Get away from me!_ Celeste's body moved its own, shoving Kaito backwards off her stomach. Awestruck, he froze, surprised Celeste resisted his advances. Anger overtook him as he lunged forward, forcing her arms above her head, preventing her pursuing protests.

"Did you just try and push me off? What, you're not enjoying yourself?!" Almost as if in slow motion, Kaito's hand struck Celeste's cheek, sending a shock down her spine as he continued caressing her body. He yanked Uta's 'lucky' black hat from Celeste's head and noticed her newly cut hair. He ran a strand through his fingers, grinning as she began to squirm underneath him. "Your hair's short." He paused and leaned in again, his breath grazed her skin like a sharp blade. The disgusting stench of liquor filled her nostrils, "It's sexy." Planting his lips on her neck, he began to nip at her skin, almost drawing blood. Celeste squeezed her eyes shut, _Just get it over with Celeste. You've done this before._

* **_Ding Dong*_** Her eyes shot open as Kaito spun around to look at the door. _Uta. It's probably Uta. How did I forget about Uta?_

Kaito sprung off Celeste, "Hide. Get behind the couch."

Celeste quickly sat up, "W-W-Why?"

"BECAUSE I SAID SO."

Startled, Celeste obeyed, stumbling to her feet and crouching behind the sofa. Her eyes watered from Kaito's slap, and she held her hand over her cheek, praying it wouldn't leave an unsightly mark. She leaned back against the sofa, her chest quickly rising and falling, attempting to catch her breath.

Kaito slowly opened the door and peeked through the crack. A businesslike man with black hair and sunglasses stood outside. He wore a black long sleeved shirt with a cheesy red bowtie. His ears, eyebrow, and lip were pierced, and it freaked Kaito out. "Can't you read?! The sign says 'no soliciting.'"

The man's face remained blank. "I'm here to pick up Miss Celeste; the girl behind the sofa."

Kaito's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the strange man and the sofa. "T-There's no girl behind that sofa."

"I am Miss Celeste's driver. I have come to collect her."

"D-Driver?"

Celeste slowly crawled out and revealed herself, "W-W-Well, I can't drive, so...might as well hire someone to do it f-f-for me."

Kaito's face turned crimson, "That makes no fucking sense. Don't you ride the b-"

"Miss Celeste, we need to go."

Anxiously glancing at Kaito, she slowly stood up, dizzy from rising too fast. She took a detour to the sofa, swiftly grabbing Uta's black hat, then proceeded to stumble towards the door.

Uta casually bowed as Celeste arrived at the door. "Miss Celeste, the car is parked around the corner."

She stared at Uta, wanting to giggle from his stupid disguise, but managed to keep a straight face. "Y-Yes, let's go." She turned to Kaito and waved, "B-B-Bye." Uta offered his hand to safely help her down the step, and her face flared up. She gently put her hand in his, stepping down then making her way across the rocks.

Uta immediately noticed that she'd been hit. He tightened his jaw, trying to repress his temper. _Nice job protecting her Uta._ He whispered to Celeste, "Car around corner. I'll meet you there."

 _There's really a car?! Did he steal a car?!_ Trembling with wide eyes, she slowly nodded and went on ahead, positioning Uta's hat back on her head.

Uta turned and walked towards Kaito; tossing his hair back to one side. Snarling while furrowing his eyebrows, he shoved his pointer finger into Kaito's face, "You will never hurt her ever again. Do you understand?"

Kaito glanced down at his long finger and scoffed, "Painted nails? What are you, fuckin' gay?"

Uta pulled his hand back, crossing his arms agitatedly. "I'm into women, too." He pulled his glasses to the tip of his nose, flashing a glimpse of his pitch black eyes that hid behind the dark glasses. Kaito cut the mockery and stood motionless, his body trembling, "Why? Are you interested?" Uta smirked and winked at the petrified man, while Kaito struggled to breathe with the ghoul standing on his doorstep. Uta leaned back and pushed his glasses up, "Sorry. Idiots that prey on and take advantage of people aren't my type." He turned and took a few steps before looking back to Kaito. "If you go near her again, I will personally see to your death." Grinning, he ran his long, pale finger across his throat, implying immediate eradication.

Kaito slammed and locked the door as he tried to catch his breath. Immediately, he snatched his phone from the table and quickly skimmed through his contact list. He slammed his finger onto Celeste's contact information, proceeding to delete every trace of it from his phone.


	15. Scub a Dub Dub

As Celeste rounded the corner, she spotted a man with light, messy hair leaning against a car. _Does this guy know Uta? What if that's just a random guy. What if he stops me? What if h-_

Celeste stared at her shoes as she picked up her pace. The scruffy man called to her as she began to walk past, "Hey, I'm with Uta. He's borrowing my car."

 _I-I-I don't trust him. He might kidnap and murder me. MAYBE HE'S A GHOUL AND HE'LL EAT ME._ She froze, refusing to get any closer.

The man sighed, "Do you need proof?" He turned and opened the back door, picking something up. "Jesus, you smell," he whispered. It was a skinny, terrified dog that quivered with its tail between its legs.

Celeste's breath ceased as her body went numb. "M-M-Michael?" The dog lifted its head as his tail slowly began to wag back and forth. "MICHAEL!" She sprinted to the car and quickly scooped him up in her arms. Cradling him close, he began to lick away the countless tears streaming down her cheeks, "My little boy, I missed you so much." The hiccups and sniffles made her words nearly incomprehensible. "I'm sorry I was too weak to protect you. I promise I'll do better." Pulling him closer, her voice trickled to a whisper, "I'm so, so sorry."

Yomo watched as this small human held her stinky, furry little animal. _What was Uta thinking, taking in Touka's human friend? He doesn't like humans. Is he trying to get on Touka's good side? Is he doing this for himself? This is insane._

"I-I'm C-Celeste." She avoided eye contact, gently petting Mikey's small head.

 _Geez, she's sweating like crazy._ "Yomo."

"Y-Y-You're Uta's f-friend?"

"He says we are."

Celeste felt a light touch on her shoulder causing her to jump and nearly drop Mikey. She quickly turned to see Uta, faintly smiling, his somber eyes looking at Yomo.

"Sorry, it's just me." Uta looked down at Michael and scratched behind his floppy ears. He peeked at Celeste and noticed the teardrops that settled on her lashes, as well as her reddened and runny nose. "Was it a heartfelt reunion?"

She lightly nodded and continued looking at Mikey, eluding eye contact with Uta, "Y-Yeah."

Uta took a step forward and opened the car door for Celeste, gesturing for her to hop in. She quietly muttered a 'thank you' as she scooched inside. Mikey rested in her lap, happy to finally be with his mother once again. Uta shut the door and hopped in the passenger seat. "Hysy?"

"You got it, captain," Yomo mumbled sarcastically.

Celeste's interest was piqued by the hoard of boxes that surrounded her. _This is strange. Is he a delivery man?_ She turned her gaze down to Mikey, gently scratching his belly, her brows furrowed with concern. _He looks sick, and his leg looks terrible. What did Kaito do?_ Celeste noticed a filthy paw print on the seat beside her. She leaned forward and softly spoke, "U-Umm, Mister Yomo? I-If my dog made any p-part of your car dirty, j-j-just let me know and I'll send some m-money."

Yomo kept his eyes forward, "He was good; stood in one spot. If there's dirt, all I need is a wipe."

"I-I-I'll pay for the wipe!"

Celeste couldn't see, but Yomo gave an amused grin, "That's not necessary. I've got plenty."

"O-Okay. T-T-Thank you." She became silent once again, stroking Michael's fur.

The car gently rolled to a stop. "We're home." Uta swiveled around to Celeste, "We'll wash him in the bathroom, so I'll meet you there."

 _I don't know where the bathroom is! I'm going to get lost!_ Celeste softly opened the door, but stopped before hopping out, "Yomo, it w-w-was pleased, I mean, p-p-pleasure, I mean, thank you for the driving, drive, t-thanks for that...car." Holding Mikey to her chest, she sprinted out, shutting the door behind her.

Uta stretched out his arms until they hit the low roof with a 'thunk.' "Do you have food with you?"

"Actually, yes," Yomo stopped briefly and stared at Uta, "The human that just got out my car." Uta rolled his eyes as he began tying his hair back, brushing off Yomo's blunt statement. "Why are you doing this?"

"Do you _actually_ have something to eat? I'm peckish." He sat up straight, "but, NOT peckish enough to eat the girl."

"Answer me."

"What's the question?"

"Christ, Uta, why do you have a human living in your house?" Somehow, Yomo managed to still sound level-headed.

"I don't know. It's...exciting, I guess?"

"Exciting?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" Yomo's tone became hostile. "This is Touka's close friend who is _homeless._ She isn't your entertainment…You've always hated humans. This just isn't the kind of person you a-"

Uta snapped back, "You don't know what kind of person I am."

"I know that we're no longer immature children. We aren't animals!"

Uta became aggravated, jumping in Yomo's face. "We ARE animals. That's how humans treat us. That's how they've _always_ treated us, and that's how they will _always_ treat us."

"Then why the hell would you want to live with one?!" Uta fell back, scratching his neck furiously while ignoring the question. "Don't act like a kid."

Uta glanced at the cars driving down the street, avoiding eye contact. He began speaking in a reserved tone. "I've just felt…" He paused, leaning back into the seat, "less monstrous, I guess?" He slowly rolled his head, glaring at Yomo with his unreadable eyes. "Being scary is tiring."

Yomo stared forward with a blank face. "But, we _are_ monsters. We eat humans just like her."

"You think I don't know that?"

They sat in silence. Yomo stared out the window, rubbing his temples as Uta closed his eyes, waiting for Yomo to give up. He felt like a son arguing with his dad.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but I'll help you, for Touka's friend's sake." Uta's eyes shot open, looking to Yomo, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "But, if something happens to this girl, I will side with Touka before I ever side with you." He pushed opened the car door and sauntered to the trunk to grab boxes. Uta remained in his seat, staring forward.

 _Less monstrous…? What does that even mean?_ Uta was more pale than usual. _Why am I doing this? What was I thinking?_

Yomo knocked on the window, gesturing to get out. Uta slowly opened the door, his face twisted and confused. He retrieved half the boxes while Yomo took the other half, walking them inside and upstairs to Celeste's room.

Yomo was nearly out the front door as Uta called him back. "Renji."

"Hm?"

Uta pulled placed his hands in his pockets, admiring the masks surrounding them. "Remember when we were younger and I said I wanted to open a mask shop?"

"Yeah."

"Everyone told me it was stupid; that I should stick to fighting and killing." Uta stared down at his palms, remembering the death and violence he'd caused and continued to cause, "Then you told me I should do whatever I want- which is terrible advice, but," he shrugged, "here we are." Uta paused, his dark eyes looking to Yomo. "If something happens to Blue, I promise I will tell you and Touka."

Yomo stared at him, confused, "Her name is Blue?"

"Her name's Celeste. Blue's a nickname I gave her."

"Jesus Christ." Yomo was silent, looking at the artwork that hung on the walls. "I don't believe you've let go of your past," he stared at Uta, "but I want to help you move on." As he pushed on the door, the small bell above the door chimed, "No more unnecessary killing."

He stepped out, leaving Uta alone with only his somber thoughts. Images of the Clowns and the hate he continued to act upon raced through his head. The hatred would never quit. He was sure of it. _I'm sorry Renji. I can't move on._

Celeste walked past the staircase and down a straight hallway. _Which one's the bathroom? What if I walk into a private room and Uta gets mad?_ She slowly peeked into a room with an open door and let out a deep exhale, relieved it was the bathroom. Honestly, it was beautiful. Ornate mirrors above the sinks reflected art displayed on the opposite wall. There were even a few masks. Celeste was bewildered. _I didn't expect his bathroom to be so fancy._

She walked toward a sizable bathtub that stood upon little golden feet with a tall shower head attached. _I feel very out of place._ Warily, she bent down to place Michael in the tub, but quickly realized she was too short to see into the bathtub while on her knees, forcing her to stand in an awkward crouching position. "I'll wash you up. You're very stinky, my boy." She smiled down at her dog as she waited for Uta, not sure if she was allowed to turn on the tap.

Uta peered around the corner into the bathroom, "You found your way?"

Celeste let out a scream, then swung around to see Uta. Her face became cherry red as her heart pounded out her chest. "Y-Y-You need to stop scaring m-m-me!"

"I'm naturally sneaky," Uta grabbed a small stool in the corner and placed it beside Celeste, gesturing for her to sit, "but I'll try and be noisier from now on."

Celeste hesitantly took a seat, embarrassed that Uta noticed she was too short to see into the bathtub without a chair. She felt the heat in her body, a sign that sweat was on its way. "S-Sorry, I'm just...e-e-easily spooked."

Uta settled next to her on his knees. His legs were long enough that a chair wasn't necessary. "You didn't start the water?"

"I-I-I was worried that maybe you didn't want me to t-t-touch the tap." Her voice was laced with uncertainty.

Uta stared at Michael who looked back at him with sparkling beady eyes. "Blue, it's your home too. You're allowed to use the water."

 _I-I-I hadn't thought of that._ She took a deep breath, attempting to calm down as to not embarrass herself more than she already had. "O-O-Okay." She turned the knob a slight amount, letting some water droplets fall. It startled Mikey, but Celeste quickly calmed him down. "Look, Michael." She cupped the warm water in her hand and held it out to him. "It's just water." He stuck his snout in her hand, making his small face wet. Slowly wagging his tail, he looked up at his mom. "See? Not that bad." Celeste slightly turned to Uta, not looking at him, "I-I-Is there some kind of soap I can use?"

"I don't use soap."

"W-W-What?!" She looked straight at Uta, eyes wide with shock.

He flashed a small grin. "I'm joking."

Celeste's face lit up with embarrassment. _Why am I so gullible?!_ Uta stood up and grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the sink counter. He bent back down and handed it to Celeste. The bottle was large and heavy, forcing her to hold it with both of her little hands. She turned it around, inspecting the label. "This is r-really fancy! Is it really okay to use it on _him?"_ She glanced downwards at the filthy dog that smelled like shit.

"Of course. His fur will be smooth when we're done."

 _That's why Uta's hair is so pret- smooth looking._ "Okay…let's give it a go, Michael!" A smile grew on her face as she doused the dog's small body with warm water. Rank brown liquid dripped off his fur, swirling down the drain.

Uta noticed a rugged scar across his small form. It looked old but must've been painful in the moment. "What's this scar from?"

"Which one?"

 _Which one?_ "This long one on the side."

"I-I-I'm not really sure. He's got so many scars and bites from before I met him." As the dirt washed away, it became obvious how many injuries he had sustained. "Apparently he was used in dogfighting." She rubbed shampoo deep into Mikey's fur and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling. "It wasn't fair that he was born into a such a tough life; having to hurt and kill just to stay alive." She gently scrubbed behind his ears with her fingertips. "When I met him, he hated people. He'd bite and growl whenever someone tried to get close to him. I was afraid he'd never trust me." Celeste lifted Mikey's leg and began picking out pieces of gross gunk stuck in his paw. She was careful to stay away from his injured leg. "But, I wasn't going to leave him; not in a million years. He deserved love, just like everyone else." She scratched under Mikey's chin as he teetered on the edge of sleep. "It took a while, almost a year, but he relaxed and realized how much my parents and I loved him." Celeste leaned back, grinning as she looked over a near sparkling Michael Scott. "He wasn't born into a good life, but I'll do everything I can to help him through the rest."

Uta stayed silent, staring at the crap swirling down the drain. _Born into unfairness...Hates people...Killing...Hurting…_

"S-S-Sorry, was that all too d-d-dark?"

"No, no. It was interesting."

Celeste held Michael's small head and leaned in, nearly touching nose to snout. She spoke to him in a high pitched voice, "I'm so glad you decided to trust me, you smelly furball." Mikey wagged his tail and looked up at his mother, the only one who gave him a chance.

Uta slightly turned his head to see Celeste's face. She was glowing with happiness, talking to her little animal. He noticed a bit of mud that had streaked her arm in the process of cleaning off Michael's gunk.

He placed his hand under the tap, and moved toward Celeste, gently rubbing up and down her arm, washing away the dirt.

Celeste flinched as his fingers came in contact with her skin. _WHY IS HE TOUCHING ME?! OH MY FUCKING GOD WHAT DO I D-_

"Sorry. I startled you again, didn't I? You have a long streak of mud down your arm."

"Oh, h-haha, silly m-m-me." Quickly, she moved her gaze back to Michael, who was still a dirty doggy.

Uta pulled up his sleeves and reached for the shampoo, squeezing some into his hand, scooching closer to Celeste and reaching down to clean Michael's wagging tail.

Celeste's face lit up like a Christmas tree, feeling Uta's arm against her's. _MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. I'M GOING TO SWEAT._

Uta didn't even think about the fact that he had moved closer to Celeste. His mind was crowded with confusing thoughts.

 _I wonder if he wanted to be less monstrous._

 _Maybe he got tired of being scary._

 _Like me._

Aside from the occasional 'good boy," Uta and Celeste sat silently, scrubbing off any filth they saw. Celeste's head was dizzy from being so close to Uta.

Out of the blue, Uta felt a little woozy himself. His mind swirled as his chest began to burn. _FUCK._ He closed his eyes, trying to get ahold of himself, but quickly felt the heat behind his eyelids. His dark eyes, which always had a spark of life, became clouded and pitch black as his red irises blazed with need. The veins surrounding his deep eyes had turned a darkened purple. His senses began to overflow as Celeste's pulse became deafening. Out the corner of his wide bloodshot eyes, he stared icily at Celeste. Every move she made heightened his senses. He focused on her small hands as they worked the remaining dirt out Michael's fur. The smell of her skin filled his nose and he began to imagine what this human would taste like. _Don't be hungry._ It overwhelmed him and his breathing quickly became heavy. _Hungry._ He pulled back his hands and clenched them into fists as he violently chewed his lip, forcing his mouth shut. _I'm hungry._ The sound of Celeste's blood pumping through her body bounced around in Uta's skull, causing an intense migraine as he was on the verge of screaming.

 _ **I'm hungry.**_

* * *

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading! I proofread all this shit like 50 times, but FanFiction always messes up formatting. 0-0 But thank you so much.


	16. Hunger

Celeste wondered why Uta had suddenly stopped. _Did I do something?_ She kept her gaze down but worked up the courage to ask for an explanation. "S-S-Sorry, did I do something wrong?" When there was no response, she began to worry. "A-A-Are you oka-" Uta jumped up and sprinted out the bathroom, leaving Celeste frozen with her mouth agape. _What did I do? Did I somehow offend him? Is he sick? What do I do?!_ She glanced down at Michael, who got spooked by Uta's sudden movement but began to calm down as Celeste rubbed behind his ears.

Uta ran towards his bedroom, sweat dripping down the long strands of hair which had escaped his hair tie. A red glow overtook his sight. Every ghoul had experienced this feeling at one point or another. Uta rarely got this hungry and didn't exactly know how to handle it, but his number one priority was to get as far away from Celeste as possible. His body shook as he threw open his bedroom door. He had recently bought a small fridge to hide his food from Celeste, but the problem was, he hadn't gotten meat to store away. But, maybe there was a chance he still had a few eyeballs in his room. They didn't require refrigeration if he ate them fast enough, so he prayed he left a jar somewhere. _**Eyes, eyes, eyes…**_ His head throbbed as he searched through every desk drawer and scanned each shelf. _**Eyes, eyes, eyes...**_ Suddenly, his nose perked up. He had caught a whiff of something yummy near his large closet and yanked the door open. He quickly stepped in, following where his nose took him. He swiftly navigated over his countless pairs of shoes and piles of dirty clothes. Laundry hadn't been his priority the past few weeks. _**EYES, EYES, EYES…**_ His body shook and his eyes burned each time he blinked. Uta threw open every drawer, scanning its contents. He was positive food was nearby.

Every shelf and drawer was closely inspected until he finally found what he was looking for; a jar of five eyes he had left in the closet a few days earlier while getting dressed. It wasn't enough to cure his intense hunger, but it would sustain him long enough to get actual meat. He pulled the jar off the shelf and impatiently unscrewed the lid. The second it popped open, he reached in with his thumb and pointer finger to pluck one of the spherical snacks out the jar. As he began to nibble one, he felt the pressure in his chest begin to subside. The moment he swallowed the bite, his clouded over eyes became clear again and the scarlet haze lifted. Purple veins that surrounded his eyes turned a lighter color then disappeared altogether. His muscles that had become rigid relaxed as he swallowed the chewy food. Juice from the snack dripped down his fingers and onto his arm. He licked his lips trying to clean up some evidence. Next, he began cleaning his fingers with his far-reaching tongue, and continued all the way down his arm, until any trace of human had disappeared. He was relieved he still had his sleeves rolled up from bathing Michael.

 _Michael._

 _Blue…_ The thought of Celeste brought stress and worry up into his chest. He couldn't have her here any longer. It was too close a call.

He exited the closet and sighed, while still pulling eyes out the jar like a human would pickles. _I need to get meat, but I can't have Blu- the human see me._ He had decided Celeste couldn't stay there any longer. No more nicknames, no more heists, no more friendly conversations. Uta would put his foot down. _I'll wait until she's asleep, then see if I can get to Anteiku. I'm too fucking tired to hunt._

He walked to his large king-size bed and pushed aside the canopy that hung from the ceiling. It was thick, but still sheer, giving Uta the feeling of being in an enclosed corner. It made him feel safe, but he'd never admit that to anyone; not even himself.

Countless dark pillows leaned against the headboard, almost making a pile. He constantly had to be careful that none fell off. However, he was missing two pillows; the ones he had given Celeste for her bed.

He scooched his body up the bed until his head gently rested on one of the pillows. He continued eating the eyes, making sure not to mess. His hair spread wildly over the pillows like small waves, while a few strands tickled his face. He preferred it neat but was too exhausted to care. _This_ _human was a horrible idea. Probably one of my worst, and I've had a lot of horrible ideas._

Celeste grabbed a deep red towel from the cabinet, then proceeded to dry Michael's fur. "You're so clean now! Such a handsome boy." She wrapped him up and held him in her arms like a newborn baby. Walking out the bathroom she peeked to the left, down the hallway at the door on the end. Slowly, she walked towards it, not sure what to do about Uta. As she stood face to face with the door, she began to chew a loose piece of skin on her lip. She lightly tapped on the door, "U-U-Uta? Are you oka-"

"Go away."

Her eyes widened. _H-Huh?_ "Did I do somet-"

"I SAID, GO AWAY."

Celeste took a step back, her eyes becoming misty. She tried to push the tears back and be brave, "D-Do you want me to call an a-a-ambulance? M-Maybe Mr. Yomo?" There was silence. Celeste felt incredibly hurt that he told her to leave. _He's never been like this...What did I do?!_ She lowered her voice to nearly a whisper, trying to hold back the hurt in her voice, "If you need any help, I'll be u-u-upstairs." She turned on her heels and slowly walked down the hallway until she reached the stairs. Looking back at Uta's door, tears ran down her cheeks. _How is it possible that every man hates me?_ As she went up each step, various memories punched her in the gut. _My birth father put me up for adoption._ Another step. _Boys at school always made fun of me for being short and chubby. Not to mention the nickname 'Pizza Face.' I was asked to my school dance as a prank._ She continued upwards, flinching at an occasional stair creak. _Kaito was the first boyfriend I'd ever had and he was just taking advantage of me._ Almost at the door. _Kaneki obviously isn't interested in a relationship with me._ A few more steps. _I was hoping Uta would want to be my friend, but it seems he's just helping out Touka by taking me in._ As she reached the top, she froze in front of the door and stared into the old wood. _I'm so fucking annoying._

After climbing the stairs, she realized how tired she was. "Straight to bed for us Mikey." Michael gave a big yawn, in agreement with Celeste.

Uta could hear Celeste walking towards his room. Fuck.

He heard a light knock on the door. A shaky voice spoke up, "U-U-Uta? Are you oka-"

Uta slightly parted his lips, too tired and hungry to deal with her right now. "Go away."

"Did I do somet-"

His head throbbed with frustration and anger. "I SAID GO AWAY."

He heard a quiet gasp come from behind the door, along with the sound of her taking a step back. "D-Do you want me to call an a-a-ambulance? M-Maybe Mr. Yomo?"

 _Please, no ambulance, no Renji._ He stayed silent, praying she would leave.

He heard a whisper through the sniffle; she was beginning to cry. "If you need any help, I'll be u-u-upstairs." He listened to her footsteps pacing down the hallway, then stopping for a moment before making her way upstairs.

Uta continued to gaze around his room, overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings. He eyed his large bookcase filled to the brim with sketchbooks. He watched a hanging metal mobile spin round and round. He had a few of these, all different shapes and colors. Little round terrariums were suspended with string. They were filled with small nature scenes he had made himself with dirt and plants. Right now, none of these took his mind off of Celeste. _Why would you let a human_ live _here in the first place, you fucking idiot?!_

He stood up and pulled off his sweater, tossing it into his laundry basket. Glancing at himself in his large mirror, he squinted and walked closer, examining his face. He stretched opened his eyes wide. _No sign of kakugan._ Even though his eyes were already black and red, it was easy for a ghoul to see the difference between the tattoo and an activated kakugan. Humans, on the other hand, didn't notice the difference. _How didn't I realize I was that hungry?_ He looked over his piercings, making sure nothing had fallen out. If anything came out, the hole would immediately heal and he'd have to go through hell the make a new one. _It's been a month since I've eaten a whole body, but I usually last longer._ He noticed his black nail polish had chipped and chose to ignore it. _Is the hunger from being around a human? This all sucks._ He pulled off his jeans and boxers (A.N. I'M BLUSHING.) before putting on black sweatpants. He pulled a baggy hooded sweater over his head to keep warm and snug. It felt comfortable after a long day, and he let out a small sigh as he fell back on to the bed. He lifted his arm and pulled back his sleeve, looking at the tattoos drawn down to his fingers. The small grandfather clock beside his bed read '6:00 PM." Uta guessed it wouldn't be long until Celeste fell asleep and he could quickly sneak out.

Celeste opened the old door to her room and was taken aback when she noticed a stack of boxes in the middle of the floor. She walked to the bed and placed Michael down, and he immediately found a cozy spot on the small bed. Celeste looked over the boxes, not sure what to think. _Is he storing these up here? What's even in them?_ She began to lift the flap on a box but quickly pulled back. I shouldn't go through someone else's things! However, curiosity pulled her hands to the box, and she began to open one as quietly as possible.

Her heart jumped as she saw the contents looking back at her. _M-Mom?!_ She pulled out a stack of photos; the ones Kaito threatened to tear apart. Some were in two pieces, but a little glue and paper would easily fix that. Tears ran down her cheeks and dripped on the photos as she scanned each one. The last one was her favorite but was unfortunately torn. It showed the day she was adopted by her mothers.

She had arrived that morning dressed in overalls layered over a cute frilly purple shirt. When she met the women adopting her, they handed over a wrapped present that had her name beautifully written on top. She opened it and was over the moon the second she saw it: the most beautiful item she had ever seen; a sparkling blue dress that shimmered in the light. She had thought it was covered in real diamonds. Her new parents asked if the color was okay, to which Celeste couldn't hide her huge grin, admitting blue was her favorite color.

It felt like yesterday she was giggling and playing with her mothers. They called her 'Star' because her skin resembled a dark night with stars sprinkled all over. Some nights, they would connect her stars with a marker and make constellations all over her body. Celeste loved the unique marks on her body. Her own hair fascinated her and she was fine with being a few pounds heavier than other girls. She knew she was healthy and that's all that mattered. It was an amazing life until people at school started the nicknames. It was either pointing out her weight, height, skin, or hair. She was easy to make fun of. Her mothers would tell her she was beautiful, but she refused to believe it ever since middle school. The only time she had ever stood up for herself was in 7th grade when a classmate mocked the fact she had two moms and no dad. He received a swift sucker punch to the face, knocking out two teeth. Celeste liked to think of it as a tooth for both her moms.

She pulled out a picture from her middle school dance. Celeste wore a white and light blue dress that flowed to her feet. She stood beside a mediocre looking middle school boy, who Celeste had had a huge crush on at the time. When he asked her to be his date, she was thrilled and spent 2 days getting ready for the dance. Deep down, she knew it was too good to be true, but believed this time could be different. It wasn't. He was dared to ask her out for $20. She stared at the photo, remembering the feelings at that moment. However, the photograph didn't make her sad. She felt proud that she moved on. Sadly, after that, she denied anybody who asked to hang out or date her. Any of them could be traitors. She never thought about the fact that some could've been great people.

The clock read '9:50.' _I should head to Anteiku now._ _Hopefully, she's asleep._ He stood up, his pale feet landing on the carpet. He easily became cold, so he enjoyed the feeling of carpet over hard floors. He felt a pang of guilt that Celeste's room had pure hardwood. _She needs a new home._ He opened his bedroom door and began walking down the hall, passing the bathroom which Celeste had cleaned well after Michael's bath. No trace of a dirty dog remained.

He placed a foot on the bottom step, listening closely to the room upstairs. _I can't hear anything._ He shoved his hands in his pockets, and slowly climbed the stairs. As he came face-to-face with the door, he placed his ear against the door to pick up anything. He could sense Celeste, but was she even breathing? He took out a hand and gently knocked on the wood...There was no response. He knocked a little bit harder this time...Still no response. _What if she's dead? I've gotta check. But, what if she's fine? I can't just walk into her room. Fuck, all of this gets more frustrating by the minute._ He let out a quiet sigh as he turned the knob, peeking inside. His eyes widened as he saw Celeste's body curled up on the cold floor. _What is she doing?!_ He took a step inside the room and walked to her, bending down to make sure she was okay. _Great job protecting her, asshole._ He could hear her heartbeat and small breaths from her lips. It appeared she was sleeping. _How can someone breathe so softly? And why is she on the freezing ground?_ He placed his arms underneath her, effortlessly lifting her up. Uta carried her to the small bed and set her down, making sure her head was on one of the pillows. That's when he noticed she was holding something. He leaned in to take a peek and wasn't surprised to see it was a photograph; the one of her parents sitting lovingly on a hill. _Finding this photo must've torn her apart._ Uta took the blanket, the one he had made a while back, and placed it over Celeste's small curled up figure. He couldn't help but watch her face. In the small time he had known her, it was the most relaxed she'd been. The corners of her mouth were raised slightly and her eyebrows relaxed. Some hair stuck to her face; it was obvious she had cried earlier. _She cried because of me._ He gently stroked her soft cheek, pushing all the out of place strands of hair back, then tucking them behind her small ear. _She's so calm, much different than usual._ As he turned to leave, Michael stood at Uta's feet, looking up at him. "D-Do you need help getting on the bed?" he whispered. Michael's tail began to wag, and Uta took that as a 'yes.' He lifted Michael's small body and gently placed him on the bed. Immediately, Mikey walked across Celeste and found a comfortable place on her stomach. Uta couldn't help but smile at the roughed up little dog. Deep down, he reminded him of himself; born into bad circumstances, fighting to stay alive. However, Uta hadn't made it to the next stage of being trusting and loving, and he knew he never would. His smile faded as he turned to the door, knowing these two needed a new home. He couldn't keep them here.

As he hopped off the bottom step, he grabbed the sandals he had thrown in the living room. He wore a gray hoodie that said 'Tokyo' on the front with no shirt underneath while he sported baggy black sweatpants on his lower half without underwear. He knew he looked ridiculous, but he was comfortable after a long day, so he didn't give much of a fuck. And his hunger was more important than getting dressed up. He quietly opened the front door, making sure to hold the bell so it didn't ring, then locked the door behind him.

Celeste opened her eyes to a bright blue sky. A few clouds floated by but didn't shade the warm sunlight. She was lying on her back, on a soft ground. Upon inspection, she saw it was grass; the most beautiful emerald grass she had ever seen. She sat up and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with fresh air. It brought a satisfied smile to her face. She quickly noticed her outfit: a near replica of the dress given to her by her mothers. It was tailored to fit her body perfectly. The sparkling fabric hung just above her knees, and the rays of sun felt nice against her bare skin.

She paused. _Wait. Where am I?_ Celeste looked around, searching for recognizable landmarks. All she could see was a couple that sat on the other side of the hill, hand in hand. Her heart panged with jealousy at the thought of peacefully watching the sky with the one they love. She pushed herself up and dusted off her behind, which some grass had latched on to. Celeste walked up the hill to get a closer look at the couple. They faced away from her, staring down at a large city. It wasn't Tokyo. Celeste had no clue where she was.

Her bare feet felt cozy on the soft grass. She looked at her small toes which were tickled by some blades of grass. She giggled lightly. Step by step, she moved toward the couple, curious as to where she was.

 _Wait._

 _I know them._

 _I k-know…_

"MOM!"


	17. Tucking In

TW: Pretty graphic gore. So that's fun.

* * *

Celeste sprinted down the hill but quickly tripped, tumbling head over heels. By the time she stood back up, her beautiful dress was ripped in a few places and covered in dirt stains. She had slightly skimmed her elbow but was okay for the most part. The couple was now only a few feet in front of her.

"MOM!? MOMMY!?" She walked around to their front and froze as soon as she saw their faces. It _was_ her mothers, but not their normal selves. Their bodies were ripped apart with blood seeping down their feminine figures. Their eye sockets were empty, although one of Ophelia's eyes hung out like an egg yolk. Their facial bones had been snapped in half and their mouths sat wide open, their bottom jaws hanging by a thread. Ophelia's nose had been bitten off, leaving a hole where Celeste could see to her skull while Estella's ears had been haphazardly ripped, leaving parts still attached. Both their scalps were missing patches of beautiful hair as the skin was exposed; fleshy and pink.

It was a ghoul's doing, but they didn't do it because they were hungry.

They did it for fun.

Celeste was all too familiar with this picture. Their faces were identical to the last time she had seen them; a little more than a year ago. These faces had been buried in her brain the moment she found them dead. At that time, she vomited and cried for days on end, possessed by the image that swarmed her mind. Now, she felt angry instead of sad. The rising feeling of revenge had been building inside her for a long time.

"Do you remember this day?" A familiar voice echoed from the blue sky; it was the voice from her dream. "Because I remember it clearly. Two beautiful women sat at home, waiting for their loving daughter who was bringing warm dinner."

Celeste tried to keep her breathing well paced, but knew she couldn't stay strong for long.

"I took a peek in the window and admired the beautiful women. They talked about their days, the weather, and even their 8 year anniversary. It warmed my heart."

Celeste stared at their torn apart faces, tears glittering in her eyes.

"However, I wanted them dead. Not because I needed food, oh, no, no. But, because I was bored! I have to be honest, I took a few bites here and there. They were as delicious as they looked." He was quiet for a few moments, before returning to his torturous words, "I heard you coming down the hall and decided to hide. It was more fun to see your reaction than see your death."

The sky turned dark, but it wasn't the sparkling sky Celeste loved. It was a deep hazy purple with red specks which sprinkled over Celeste and her parents. As soon as the scarlet snow landed on her mothers, the two of them disapparated, as though absorbed by the ground.

"I wish I had killed you too. If I had known what you were going to do, I would've stuck my thumbs in your eye sockets and ripped your pretty little head right in half. I would have driven my fist straight through your stomach, and watched as your guts spilled out across the carpet."

Celeste's body felt empty. She didn't understand what was happening and why it was happening to her. She felt cold and wished she was wearing something different than her dress. "W-W-What did I do?" She choked on every word.

Silence. She no longer felt the presence of someone watching. Her watery eyes looked over the grass, which hadn't changed. The blades tickled her toes and the emerald color was still visible and just as beautiful. Out the corner of her eye, she spotted a bright light at the top of the hill. She knew what it was, or, _whom_ it was; the twin girls from her dream. Celeste scrambled towards the light, panickedly shouting, "Please! Please tell me what's happening!" She reached the top and saw she guessed correctly. The young girls looked as though they had been waiting, as they were sitting on the ground, playing with the grass. One was attempting to make a flower crown from slippery blades of grass, while the other was ripping it out the ground and making a small pile of dirt. Their candle sat between them, flickering in the darkness. When they saw Celeste, big smiles grew on their faces. They excitedly held out the creations they had worked so hard on; the failed flower crown and the messy pile of mud and grass. Celeste had tears trailing down her face, a feeling of hopelessness plaguing her stomach. "I-I-I'm sorry, I-I don't have time for this! Where am I!? P-P-Please! Tell me!"

The girls pushed their presents closer, waiting for acceptance. Celeste shakily held her hands out to the children, hoping they would tell her something if she played along. The girl smiled softly as she placed the grass crown into Celeste's open palm. "Blue," she murmured.

"W-W-What? B-Blue?! Y-Y-Yes, that's me! That's my nickname! H-How do you know that?!"

With a huge grin, the other girl lobbed her grass pile into Celeste's hand. "Blue!" They both stared at her, their sparkling eyes full of happiness. Celeste stared back, her mind lost in space as tears of hopelessness ran down her cheeks.

The girls picked up their candle from each side and looked at eachother. In unison, they spoke, "Celeste, please."

Celeste was becoming impatient. "Yes, that's me! I'm Celeste! I'm B-B-Blue! T-Tell me who you are!"

They both took a deep breath and let out the loudest voices she had ever heard. Celeste was startled and fell to the grass, slightly impressed someone could yell that loudly, "CELESTE! PLEASE, PLEASE. WAKE UP, PLEEEASE."

 _Wake up?_

Celeste's eyes shot open to see a dog's blurry snout obscuring her vision while her skin was numb, not even feeling Michael's claws digging into her chest. "Hiiiiii Michael." Mikey's tail slightly wagged as she closed her eyes once more, but they slowly opened back up at the realization that she was on the floor, and someone knelt beside her.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Celeste." It was Uta, speaking in an irritated whisper. He watched her with wide black eyes, his face drained of all color. If Celeste hadn't been so out of it, she would've noticed his hair sleepily pinned back, showing small beads of sweat that rested on his forehead along with his fast-paced breathing. "What the fuck are you doing?" He looked angry, but Celeste's blurry vision blocked out his face. Uta wasn't angry, but he didn't know how to portray the feeling of 'panicking my ass off.' _How does she always end up on the ground!?_ He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax. "I thought you had a seizure or something, Blue. I was about to call an ambulance."

"I-I-I-I," Celeste stammered, not sure what to say or do. Everything was blurry and hazy. Her brain felt like a pile of pudding. She hadn't even noticed the puddle of tears formed beneath her head. "I-I-I…" She pushed herself up and looked at Michael, his eyes full of worry. "I-I-I'm going t-to...t-t-the art m-m-museum." She pushed herself up to her feet and stumbled towards the door, wobbling from side to side as thought she was drunk.

Uta jumped up and stood in front of her, blocking the exit. "No, you're not. It's 3 am and you look drunk." _Should I message Touka? Maybe there's a weird medical condition I should know about. What if it's just sleepwalking? God, what is happening? I just want to sleep._

Celeste stared forward at Uta's chest, her eyes blank and emotionless as tears streamed down her cheeks. "T-T-Then...bed." She gripped Uta's tattooed arm to push him aside then proceeded to open the door and walk down the stairs.

Uta speechlessly trailed behind her, wiping his face sweat with the bottom of his loose tank top. He was curious and worried as to what was happening. _Is she sick? Did she hit her head when she fell out the bed?_ He didn't want Touka to think this was his fault or he'd never hear the end of it. However, that may have been a made up excuse to justify his anxiety and worry for Celeste.

As they reached the bottom, Celeste stumbled toward the living room/kitchen and found the small sofa in front of the television. She collapsed upon the couch and went limp, her eyes immediately shutting.

Uta straggled into the room, eyebrows furrowed and mouth hanging open. _What the actual fuck?_ He walked toward the sofa and once again knelt beside her, moving her bangs to the side and carefully watching her. He noticed a bump forming on her forehead, _Probably from falling off the bed. What a klutz._ "Blue?"

Celeste's lips opened slightly, whispering, "What did I do? Why won't he leave me alone?" Her hair stuck to her face as tears flowed out her shut eyes, dripping to the couch.

' _Won't leave me alone?' Is somebody stalking her? Ohh, this isn't good._ Uta stole a small pin out his own hair and secured her tear-soaked messy hair in place. As he brushed out some small knots with his long fingers, he lowered his voice to a quiet whisper, "Who won't leave you alone?"

Celeste softly breathed in and out, shutting her eyes even harder, "Ghoul." She paused before continuing, "He killed them."

 _Oh._ Uta slowly pulled back his hands and gently placed them in his lap, trying to be as quiet as possible. "Parents?"

"Mm."

"You saw the-..." Uta paused for a split second, "the ghoul?"

"I didn't do anything, but he hates me."

Uta stared at her with his heavy-lidded eyes. A feeling of guilt swarmed in his stomach as he remembered his plan to kick her out for being a liability. _It's not her fault for being who she is. I let her live here knowing she was human, so it's my responsibility to deal with backlash. It's going to be hard asking her to leave._ He stood up and gently lifted Celeste's head, carefully placing one of the couch cushions underneath. "Go to sleep." Her breathing was quiet and soft, indicating she had peacefully fallen asleep. Uta turned and walked to the hallway, scratching his neck. _It seems like she had a nightmare about her parents' death. That's rough._ He stopped and looked back at the little figure on the couch. _What if she has another one?_ He ran his long fingers through his hair. _No, she's fine._ He continued walking down the hall and opened the door to his room. The second he saw his bed, he relaxed. It had been a stressful day, but it was finally time to rest.

He jumped onto the tall bed and placed his head on one of the left side pillows. He had never slept in the middle of the bed or on the right side. He had no idea why, but it felt strange any other way. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the blanket up to his chin, relaxing his body into the soft mattress as his eyelashes fluttered closed over his dark eyes. _This is nice._

Over the course of 30 minutes he repeatedly adjusted himself, frustratedly changing positions and flipping over his pillows to try and get comfortable. He grew irritated at his tiredness and failure to fall asleep. He rarely worried about much, but something gnawed at the back of his mind. _Fucking fine._ He threw his long legs over the side of the bed and yanked his large blanket off the mattress. He picked up two pillows and tucked them under his arm as he walked out the room, the blanket dragging behind him.

He stood over Celeste who seemed to be sleeping soundly. Delicately, he lifted her head and replaced the couch cushion with a softer one from his bed then draped the large blanket over the sleeping girl. He gently lifted her legs and took a seat on the small sofa, making as little noise possible. Slowly resting her legs on his lap, he grabbed the other pillow and placed it behind his own head, praying he would finally get some sleep. He leaned his back into the pillow and was surprised how comfortable he was in a sitting position. _If she has a nightmare again, I'll hear it._ He turned his head to look at Celeste. The blanket rose and fell with every quiet breath she took while occasionally whispering in her sleep.

He leaned back, once again settling into the pillow, "I'll never be able to get rid of you," Uta said under his breath. He whispered as his eyelashes fluttered closed, "There's a good chance you will be the literal death of me, Blue."

* * *

Yeah, that gore was kind of gross.

But hey, if I could every one of you who has read this far, I would. It means a whole lot. I don't have much self-confidence, so seeing people read my work makes me feel happy and supported. So, thank you!


	18. Big Bump

I PROOFREAD TOO MUCH

A guest asked if I use 'any other site besides this one' and I didn't really get what they meant, but just letting you know that this story is on AO3, FanFiction, and Wattpad. And they're all under different titles for fun. There's also someone translating it to French? but i approved that so. thats weird right?

if they mean social media, my tumblr is sushi-is-delicious and my twitter is tegiebear.

also it was just utas birthday so i hope you celebrated.

also i changed to lowercase halfway through this author's note because i suddenly got lazy

and i love you guys so much. i write all my comments in a journal and look at them whenever i feel like a piece of shit

okay i hope you like this

* * *

Celeste's eyes fluttered open to a bright morning streaming through the skylight above. She took a deep breath, a stretched her arms to the roof, letting out a lengthy yawn. Wow. I haven't felt this rested in a long time. Probably since...Mom and Mommy... Her heart sunk, but she was determined to persevere through the negative thoughts. Oh, shit. Today's the job interview. She tightly clenched her jaw, feeling the dread rise up. Oh, God, I hope it goes okay. I know I'll end up embarrassing myself, but how embarrassing will it be? Taking a couple deep breaths, she jumped out of bed. Stay calm, stay calm. You can do this, Celeste. You've got this.

She sifted through the cardboard boxes Uta had rescued, trying to track down her clothing. Touka had planned to take Celeste shopping for a new wardrobe, but thankfully that was no longer necessary. Her clothes were back to their rightful owner.

Celeste didn't know how she could show her appreciation to Uta for getting her things, but she didn't want to pretend it never happened and come off as ungrateful. It was one of the most thoughtful things anyone had ever done for her, and they barely knew one another.

She pulled a monotonous, dark blue, long-sleeved shirt over her head. Her short, curly hair sprung up once her head was through the hole. Next, she yanked up her light blue jeans that buttoned perfectly at her little tummy. The pants were made for somebody of normal height, so they were extremely long on Celeste. She rolled them up to her ankles so she could walk without tripping. (It doesn't make much of a difference. She'd probably trip anyway.)

There was no mirror in the room, but Celeste knew how drab her clothes were. Blending in to a crowd is what Celeste succeeded at, and she didn't complain.

She plucked her toiletries from the box: hairbrush, makeup, etc., to prepare herself in the downstairs bathroom.

Creeping down the stairs, she tried her best to not wake Uta. However, he was already awake, tending to the front of the store before opening. Celeste eyed him for a bit as he carefully tidied the handmade merchandise.

Her interest was immediately piqued by the outfit he wore: a plaid black and gray flannel shirt which he had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. It contrasted the dark tattoos that reached his painted fingernails. The shirt was unbuttoned, showing off a well-fitted gray tee printed with various vine-like patterns.

His droopy pants were gray and went in just below the knee. They revealed his pale legs that were bare; no tattoos in sight. His hair was tied in a ponytail with his lengthy bangs held back using two silver pins arranged in an 'X' shape. He looked very put together and nice, so Celeste guessed an important customer would be visiting. In actuality, from time to time, Uta just felt like devoting extra time to his appearance. On other occasions, he threw on dirty clothes and left his hair unbrushed, not even attempting to tie it up.

As Celeste opened her mouth to greet Uta, he spoke up first, knowing she was there without even looking, "How was your sleep?"

It startled Celeste, causing her to jump, but she tried to stay poised and think of a response, "I-I-It was really nice, actually. I haven't slept that well in a while." She paused before realizing she had failed to remember her manners, "S-So, thank y-y-you for asking! How was y-yours?"

Uta eyes narrowed to slits, squinting in confusion. Did she forget about the whole night? She doesn't remember waking up on the floor or sleeping on the sofa? He had removed her from the small sofa and lugged her upstairs when it was time to get the store ready. Thankfully, Celeste was a heavy sleeper. "Night was a bit rough, but I managed to get some sleep," Uta stated as he polished the glass cases. He turned around to face Celeste, startling her with his deep eyes. She quickly peered to the side, pretending to observe the huge glass display; avoiding his gaze. "You found your clothes." Uta was itching to help pick a different outfit, but knew it would come off as an insult. Celeste's clothes weren't bad, but stale bread wasn't Uta's outfit of choice.

"Y-Y-Yeah."

There was an uncomfortable lull where neither really knew what to say. Uta was first to break the silence and attempted to comfort her by softening his previously sharp gaze, "You look very nice."

Celeste's eyebrows shot up as her face shined like a tree in December. Nervous babbling poured out her mouth as she clamored over her own words, "T-T-Th-Than-ank-Yo-oo-Than!"

There's those nerves. "You have your interview today, yeah?"

Celeste anxiously played with the end of her sleeve, "Y-Y-Yeah, I...I'm going to m-make sure I look okay. S-So, I'll be in the b-b-bathroom."

Uta spotted a large bump poking out her forehead. He had predicted it would introduce itself the moment she hit her head. I should've put something cold on it...but it's too late now. She's going to freak out.

Celeste flipped on the bathroom lights. She eyed her messy hair in the mirror and began to work the comb through her knotted waves. This morning's bedhead wasn't appalling, so she was grateful to the bed gods. Picking up the concealer she observed her spotted face. I'll need to cover the bags under my eyes and dab some cream on the pim...what is…? Celeste gasped as she stared at her forehead. WHAT IS THIS HUGE PURPLE BUMP!? IS THIS A PIMPLE!? She attempted to mask it with makeup, but it was too sizable to hide. In fact, it cast a slight shadow. Her breathing turned heavy, and she was nearly gasping for air. Visions of embarrassing interviews clouded her mind.

"You okay?" Celeste spun around as her heart rate shot through the roof. She threw her hands up, shielding her forehead. Uta was peeking through the doorway, his dark eyes closely inspecting her behavior.

"I-I-I…" Celeste stared into the mirror as she slowly put down her hands, revealing the devastating news. "I just have a p-p-pimple. It's h-huge."

Ooo, this might be fun. "I could help cover it."

Celeste felt her heart stop. "N-N-No, n-no, no…I already t-tried."

Uta stepped toward Celeste, looking at her panicked face through the mirror. "I have a trick you could try." He tugged open a drawer below the sink that was packed with countless foundations, brushes, sponges, blush, eyeshadow, mascara, etc...If you could name it, it was in there. He rummaged through and brought out a few brushes along with pan and liquid foundation identical to Celeste's, although the color was much lighter than her's.

Celeste stood in awe at the arduous amount of cosmetics. Her eyes grew wider as she realized Uta would probably try do her makeup for her. IS HE GOING TO TOUCH MY FACE? AHHHH, BRACE FOR IMPACT. "T-T-That makeup is r-really light. I think my s-skin is too dark."

"I'm not using it on you. I'll use it on my own face to show you how I'd do it." He glanced downwards and began picking out his tools. "'Give Blue a fish; she'll eat for a day. Teach Blue to fish; she'll eat for years.'"

Celeste was confused by Uta's strange proverb. She had heard it before, but didn't find it applicable to their situation. "I know what you're trying to say, b-b-but," she looked down at her makeup, shrugging, "the m-metaphor doesn't work because I don't like f-fish…W-What about, 'Do Celeste's makeup for her; she'll be pretty for one day. Teach Celeste to do her own makeup; she'll be pretty every day?'" She glanced up at Uta who was grinning wide as he cleaned his makeup brushes, obviously on the verge of laughter. Celeste pressed her lips together, preventing more words from coming out. I just embarrassed myself. I want to crawl into the bathtub and never leave. I want to hide in the cupboard and di-

"You're so passionate about the fishing metaphor." His grin lingered, unable to curb it. Painfully biting his lip, he struggled to keep his grinning and laughter contained. Stop the smiling. Stop. Uta loathed the thought of showing any emotion. He felt weak when people noticed the changes in his stagnant demeanor. Usually, he could flawlessly control his feelings and keep a blank face; but occasionally an emotion was too strong. Whether it was a strong sense of sadness or, in this case, happiness, his deep emotions sometimes overcame his self control, and he despised it. "I like your version, but there's some slight editing to be done." He looked in the mirror and readjusted the pins in his hair. "Blue, you're attractive with and without makeup, so the parts concerning becoming pretty don't belong. Instead of '-pretty every day,' maybe change it to, 'She can cover up bumps when she wants."

Celeste's heart heavily pounded, causing her head to spin. She felt her face flare up as her hands began to shake. As she talked, her inflection fluttered, "Y-Y-Yes, that's g-good. Sounds g-g-great. Y-Yes."

She's uncomfortable because I called her attractive. I need to think before I say things. Honestly, Uta did think Celeste was charming and very cute, but didn't feel 'lovey-dovey' towards her, and wanted to avoid giving the wrong idea. He knew she would eventually find someone who adores and treasures her, and he wanted to help find that person. She deserves better than that ex-shithead. He didn't even realize this was the first time he hadn't felt animosity toward a human. "Okay, we'll start with foundation." He dabbed light liquid onto a clean sponge before leaning to get an up-close view in the mirror. "Get near the mirror so you can spot details you may have mis-" Beside him, Celeste's face was scrunched up as she stood on her tiptoes, attempting to pull herself closer to the mirror. However, the counter was too tall and wide to get anywhere near it. She's so short. Uta guessed Celeste was about 5'3" tall (160 cm,) while he stood at about 6 feet (183 cm.) It's reasonable that she's struggling. "Did you want me to lift you u-"

"NO! No, no. No lifting, p-p-please." NO LIFTING, NO LIFTING. Celeste's eyes were wide as she wracked her brain for a solution. "I-I'll use my phone camera as a m-mirror!" Quickly, she grabbed the phone from her back pocket and swiped the screen to reveal a wallpaper of Michael Scott watching television.

"Do you do that often?"

Memories of using her phone as an alternate mirror ran through Celeste's mind. It was a habit she consistently engaged in on the bus, in taxis, at school...Pretty much everywhere. "W-W-Why? Is there something wrong with t-that?"

"You do?"

"I never s-said that."

It didn't take Super-Ghoul-Sight to see she was lying. Thaaaat's why her makeup always seems messy. "Here." Uta took a step to the bathtub and picked up the stool Celeste had been seated on when bathing Michael Scott. "Use the trademark Handy-Dandy-Stool."

"Y-You want me to stand on it?"

"Only if you want to," Uta said bluntly. She stared at the stool and imagined all the directions she could fall and crack her head open like an egg. "I'll catch you if you fall. Making sure you don't die has become my hobby."

He read my mind. She stepped up to the top of the stool, her body wobbly from trying to stay balanced. Uta briefly thought about steadying her, but knew Celeste well enough to foresee the negative reaction that would come from that. After her graceful balancing act, Celeste finally felt stable enough to lean towards the mirror. "O-O-Okay, I think I'm all good."

Uta gave a small smile. "Perfect." He leaned towards the mirror once again. "Just follow along as best you can. This stuff's hard to get good at."

"I'll give it a go," Celeste said, attempting a confident tone.

Uta demonstrated for a few minutes, showing Celeste different techniques for covering big pimples and bumps. He refused to show her methods for hiding moles, saying that they're neat and made her unique, which caused Celeste to stutter uncontrollably. Uta quickly realized he should've thought that through before saying it.

Surprisingly, Celeste picked up his instructions relatively quickly. She let out an audible sigh of relief when she noticed her bump was now invisible.

As Uta began packing away his foundation, he paused and turned to Celeste with uncharacteristic anxiety building in his chest . "Blue?"

Celeste's head turned from the mirror, now looking towards Uta. "Y-Yeah?" She anxiously avoided eye contact by eyeing the sink. What's he going to say? Did my foundation come out bad? Am I hopeless? Should I just cover my head with a paper ba-

"I'm sorry about last night." His voice was low, as he stared at his uncomfortable reflection. "I was frustrated about something, but I had no right to take it out on you."

Last night? For a moment, Celeste forgot he yelled at her to leave the night before. Maybe I slept so well I forgot. No, that's in no way possible. "Y-You don't need apologize. It didn't b-bother me."

"You cried."

She picked at her fingernail, embarrassed. "Y-Yeah, but...I cry all the time." A slight grin grew on her face. "In fact, if I was a character in a story, it would be m-my main character trait."

Uta smiled, pleased she seemed to be laughing it off. "Well, I don't want my character trait to be 'Makes Blue Cry.'"

Celeste's smile weakened as she debated asking him something. "Are…" Her voice turned quiet, "Are you okay, though? You sounded really u-upset."

Uta leaned against the counter and looked up toward Celeste, who was still standing above him on the stool. He wanted to make eye contact, but knew it was unlikely. "Don't worry about me. I've always solved problems without help."

"Even if people offer to help?"

"I don't want their help," he snapped back. I don't need help. He quietly took a breath in. Especially from a human.

It was silent as Celeste kept her gaze down. Uta listened to her slow breathing over the repetition of the dripping sink. Carefully stepping down from the stool, Celeste's shaky hands fumbled as she put away her makeup. "I-I'm going to go now." Stepping past Uta, she paused before leaving the bathroom. "T-Thanks for helping me. I-If you ever need h-help," Celeste stood uncomfortably, gripping the door frame, "I'm here for you." She took a deep breath and made a beeline up the stairs to grab her jacket before sprinting out the upstairs back door.

Uta stood motionless in the bathroom and closed his eyes as he listened to the pitter-patter of her footsteps out the back door and down the fire escape. She's fast when she wants to be.

 **Oasis Bakery - 2nd Ward**

The scent of fresh bread and sugar coated sweets struck Celeste as she pushed open the glass door. Memories flew through her mind: celebrating her 10th birthday with warm blueberry cupcakes, sharing breadsticks with Michael Scott, studying for college entrance exams while stuffing her mouth with cinnamon rolls...Celeste beamed as a smile grew on her face. I love this place so much.

"Welcome!"

Celeste was snatched back into reality as a petite blonde girl popped out from behind the counter to greet her. Frankly, this girl was adorable. With her light skin and rosy cheeks, she was the personification of a sweet cherry blossom cupcake. Celeste turned a deep red as jealousy and adoration overtook her. "H-H-Hi! Y-Yeah, thanks! You're a-a-also welcome…" They were silent, staring at each other. Panic began to swirl in Celeste's chest. Hooooly shit, there's no way I'll get this job. I've already fucked it u-

The girl giggled as she tucked a strand of bouncy blond hair behind her ear, showing cute Hello Kitty® earrings. "Will it be a table for one?"

Celeste tried to breathe normally, but was failing miserably. "No, uhhh...I'm h-h-here for an interview...I'm Ce-"

"You're Celeste?" She bounced up and down as her eyes sparkled. "Ah!~I've been so excited to meet you! I'm Yoriko!"

Celeste took a small step back, uncomfortable with the level of excitement. "Y-You've been e-excited to meet me?"

"Of course! We've been very understaffed. The moment you called in for a job interview, I was thrilled!" The girl dug around in the pocket of her white apron that donned the Oasis logo. She pulled out a small notepad and pink pen, which had a Hello Kitty® charm dangling from the top. Clicking the pen, she began scribbling pink words all over the small paper. "These are your first shifts next week."

Bolts of electricity ran from tips of Celeste's toes to the top of her head. SHIFTS?! "Sh-Shifts?"

"I don't know if you can bake, but that's okay! You can learn! Also, we'll skip the background check 'cause I assume you're not a felon. If you are, you're a very cute felon, so I'm fine with that too. Sooo, you're hired! Welcome to Oasis! I promise you'll love it here!"

Celeste stood lifeless with her mouth slightly open, barely letting out a breath. A gust of wind would have blown her right off her feet. I'm hired? I got a job? My first job!? I DID IT!?

"I'll have one of the waitresses show you around. She can also fetch you a uniform! Is that okay?"

"Y-Yes! That sounds great! T-Thank you so much!"

Yoriko clapped her hands together and flashed a huge glittering grin. "AHHHH, I'm so glad!" She turned to the kitchen and called out, "Aki? Could you show a newbie around and help get her in uniform?" Celeste couldn't hear the response, but Yoriko replied positively, "Thank you so much!" She turned back, placing her hands on Celeste's shoulders. "You guys will be friends in no time! I've gotta go take some orders, but I'll see you in a bit!"

"Y-Yeah! See ya!" Celeste smiled back, quietly excited at the opportunity to make two new friends. This is going great! I feel like I belong. Celeste saw a pale, black haired girl pop out the kitchen. Her hair rested softly on her shoulders, draping over the sleeves of the pink uniform.

Celeste was all too familiar with this attractive girl with beautiful hair. She had been jealous of her for years.

The last time she saw this girl, Celeste had walked in on her having sex with her boyfriend.

"C-Celeste?!"

"A-A-A-AKANE?!"

SHIEEEEEEEET.

* * *

thank you so much


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